Harrison Potter Year One
by PriceX
Summary: Harrison's twin brother Nick is thought to be the boy who lived, loved by their parents and ignored by the world how will everyone react when they head to Hogwarts and Harrison becomes more than Nick could ever be. Rated T just in case, I suck at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Harrison James Potter woke with a start, he'd had another dream, well, it was a memory really of the night Voldemort had attacked his family. The dream consisted of a cold laugh and green light, nothing more, yet it chilled him to the bone every time. It was the night that ruined Harrison's life, his parents were nearly killed and his brother hailed the saviour of the wizarding world.

He stood from the bed, stretching as he walked into his bathroom and ran a hand over his face as he looked in the mirror to the same reflection he saw every morning. Dark hair, it wasn't scruffy like his Father and brother but had more of a curl, straight from the Black side of his family. High cheekbones and bright green eyes, the perfect heir to a pureblood line. He sighed and brushed his teeth, banishing all thought of his dream before returning to his room to get dressed.

He chose a pair of black trousers and a dark green button-down along with his favourite dragon hide boots and made his way down to breakfast.

His mother, Lily was stood at the oven when he walked into the kitchen, she was flipping pancakes and humming along to the radio, seemingly in a world of her own, she turned around only as he sat at the small table in the middle of the room.

'Morning Harry, you're up early, hungry?'

He offered her a small smile and nodded, taking the plate of bacon and scrambled eggs from her, his favourite.

'I couldn't' sleep' He explained, she nodded knowingly.

'Excited?'

Before he could reply there was a tap at the window, their owl, Godric, stood at the window, Lily opened it with a flick of her wand and he flew in, dropping the letters on the table and flying over to his perch. At that same moment, his father, James, walked through the kitchen door, his hair stood up and he looked half asleep. Harrison watched as he grabbed a coffee from the kitchen side and kissed Lily on the head before turning towards him with a smile.

'Are you going to open it or wait and see if it opens itself?' He teased gesturing towards the letters in front of him.

Harrison lifted the letter addressed to him and sliced it open with his breakfast knife

 _*Dear Mr Potter,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on 1_ _st_ _September. We await your owl by no later than 31_ _st_ _July._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_  
 _Deputy Headmistress_

He smiled as he read the words, he would finally be going to Hogwarts, he could make a name for himself there, be finally known as more than just the brother of the boy who lived. Harrison quickly scribbled a reply and passed it to his mother to owl.

'Can we go to Diagon Alley today?' he looked towards his father

'Yes, I think today would be best, it should be fairly quiet, I'll go and floo Moony and Padfoot, see if they want to join us' James looked considerably more awake now and made his way over to the fireplace in the corner of the room.

Harrison finally settled down to his breakfast, accepting the pumpkin juice from his mother and taking a rather large gulp.

 **CRASH**

'Nick's awake' he drawled, snickering as his mother sighed

'Every morning' she muttered almost to herself

Harrison turned as the kitchen door opened with a bang, there stood his brother, wearing jeans and a faded Cannon's t-shirt with a large stain on the front, you wouldn't think they were twins. His hair stuck up in every way possible, his face held a more rounded shape and the green of his eyes faded slightly behind the glasses he wore. The scar that everyone knew so well covered half of his forehead, Harrison too had a scar from that night, although his wasn't on view and only his family knew he had one at all. His scar wasn't as distinctive as his brothers, it resided on his chest, just above his heart and was curved, almost an 'S' shape that Harrison was rather fond of. The whiteness of it stood out against his tanned skin, he was the only one who saw it though as it was a rare occasion for him to remove his shirt in public.

'Morning' he half yawned, his eyes scanning the kitchen, doing a double take as he noticed the letters on the table.

'Hogwarts?' his eyes brightened at the thought and he darted forward to snatch the envelope bearing his name and ripped it open carelessly.

'I got in!' Harrison rolled his eyes, muttering a sarcastic remark that earned him a glare from his twin.

'I bet I'll be on the Quidditch team straight away! And I'll win the cup for Gryffindor every year and…'

Harrison tuned out Nick's childish bragging and turned back to his Hogwarts letter, looking instead at the equipment list also enclosed.

 _*First year students will require:_

 _Uniform_

 _Three sets of plain work robes (Black)_

 _One plain pointed hat (Black) for day wear_

 _One pair of protective gloves (Dragon hide or similar)_

 _One winter cloak (Black, silver fastenings)_

 _Please note that all students' clothes should carry name-tags at all times_

 _Books_

 _The standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk_

 _A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_

 _Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling_

 _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_

 _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore_

 _Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_

 _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander_

 _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble_

 _Other Equipment_

 _1 Wand_

 _1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

 _1 Set of glass or crystal phials_

 _1 Telescope_

 _1 set of brass scales_

 _Students may also bring an Owl OR a Cat OR a Toad_

 _PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEAR STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_

'Looks like you're out of luck Nick, first years aren't allowed brooms'

Nick stopped his rambling about all the pranks he was going to play on Slytherins to look at his own equipment list.

'Harry's right Nick, you're supposed to focus on settling in at Hogwarts, getting used to the lessons and making friends in your first year, besides, Quidditch is far too dangerous for an 11-year-old to be playing' Nick looked at his mum in both shock and outrage.

'But I'm amazing at flying, Dad's been teaching me for as long as I can remember, I won't fall off!'

'It doesn't matter how good you are Nicky' Lily soothed 'There are older students playing, and it can get very rough, you can try out in your second year, just focus on other things this year darling'

Nick looked as though he would argue back when their father walked back through the door followed by his two friends.

'Uncle Siri! Uncle Remus!' Nick ran towards the two men, tackling them for a hug.

'Good morning to you too Nick' Sirius laughed

'Right then, Nick dear, go and change into a clean shirt and then we can leave, we'll wait by the floo'

'Morning Harry, excited to go to Diagon Alley?' Remus questioned as he took the mug of coffee, nodding his thanks to Lily

'Good morning Uncle Remus, and yes, I can't wait to finally have a wand' Harrison couldn't believe the day was finally here, he'd imagined his wand every day that he could remember, practising spells with sticks in the garden whilst his father and brother amused themselves with Quidditch.

Nick came running back into the kitchen, this time sporting a clean red t-shirt with a picture of a lion on it. James took this cue to grab a handful of floo powder from the small pot, stood in the fireplace and dropped the powder

'The Leaky Cauldron!' and with that he promptly disappeared in a flash of green flame.

Sirius went next, followed by Remus, Harrison took the next spot and appearing the other end in the familiarly dark yet somewhat comforting pub. He quickly stepped out of the fireplace to make room for his brother and mother to join them, taking the time to brush any dust from his clothes.

Once they'd all arrived and cleaned up, the small group made their way through the pub and out into the back where they faced a brick wall and waited for James to tap out the correct pattern with his wand, as soon as he did, the bricks began to shift, forming an archway to the alley.

'I'll never get tired of that sight' His mother sighed lovingly

It was quite a sight, the hustle and bustle of the market stalls surrounding the shops wound their way up the cobbled street. Witches and Wizards of every kind rushing about, it was a lot quieter than usual, which was just what the family had wanted. Lily and James to avoid the press and constant stopping for Nick to greet fans, and Harrison disliked being ignored during these events, so the quiet shopping day was to everyone's approval.

'Okay, Gringotts is the first stop' James announced, taking the lead towards the bank, Nick and Lily at his side. Remus and Sirius followed, on high alert for any danger that might befall them. Harrison walked a slower pace behind his family, choosing instead to gaze into each shop he walked past, decided what he might buy later on.

They entered the bank and walked straight to the back, where sat Griphook, the goblin in control of both the Black and Potter estate.

'Good morning Griphook' James greeted 'my sons would like to make a withdrawal'

He presented the correct keys and Griphook nodded, gesturing them to follow him. They did, and entered the caverns that held the fortunes of the Wizarding world, Harrison was suddenly glad he hadn't eaten much breakfast as they approached the rail cart, they all despised. Harrison noted Nick and Lily slowly turning a shade of green as they rode deeper into the caves, he knew Nick would aim towards him if he were sick and so was very glad when the cart pulled to a stop.

'Vault number 687!' Griphook approached the door, key in hand, this was Harrison's trust vault. He stepped forwards and the door opened, reflecting a warm glow from the gold held within. His father had explained to him a few years ago everything he needed to know about this vault. It would fill to the sum of 50,000 Galleons every year on his birthday and that was all the money he could spend for the year; his Hogwarts tuition also came from the vault. When he reached the age of 17, the amount would increase to 100,000 as he was the heir to the Potter family, he would also gain one of the family's 5 seats on the Wizengamot so that he would be prepared to take over when his father died. Nick's vault however, would remain at the sum of 50,000 per year, and being only a scion of the Potters, their father would have to manually fill the trust vault after he reached majority. Harrison was also, upon his birth, appointed the heir to the Black family and would receive 100,000 and then 200,000 from Sirius once he was 17, along with another 2 seats on the Wizengamot.

Harrison stepped inside his vault and began filling a small pouch with gold. The pouch had unbreakable, feather light, and bottomless charms on it, as well as a blood protection so that only he or one of his bloodlines could open it. Once he had a considerable amount of money, and the vault nearly empty he left the vault, nodding to Griphook on his way out. The family then waited as Nick went into the next vault down, number 688 to retrieve his own money.

They took the ride back to the surface and thanked Griphook for his time.

'Okay then' James said clapping his hands together

'Where do you want to go first?' Looking at Harrison and Nick in turn.

'Ollivanders!' They said in unison, for once actually sounding like twins

Sirius laughed 'Well then, what are we waiting for, we've got two pups that need wands!' and with that he promptly grabbed Nick's arm, pulling him on his back and running down the street. Remus shook his head, a fond smile on his face and they all followed the pair.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

A faint bell rang towards the back of the shop signalling their entrance; Harrison took a good look around, the shop was dark and very small, the party of six only just managing to comfortably fit inside. There was a small counter bearing a dim lamp, behind which were shelves and shelves filled with hundreds of wand boxes, one of which would contain the perfect wand for him, the thought alone filled him with excitement.

All of a sudden, a man appeared behind the counter, this must be Ollivander, Harrison thought, taking in the man's appearance. He looked old, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.

'Well, Mr. And Mr. Potter, how nice to meet you at long last, seems only yesterday your parents were in here buying their first wands'

His eyes scanned over to their parents quickly before settling back on Harrison and Nick

'Who's first then?' He questioned and without hesitation Nick barged his way forward to the desk.

'Ah Nick Potter, the boy who lived' Harrison noticed a strange spark in his eye that vanished almost as soon as it appeared

'Which is your wand arm?'

'Right' Nick proudly stated, sticking out his arm. A tape measure appeared out of nowhere and started measuring everything about him, including the gap between his eyes. Once it had finished it rolled itself up on the desk and Ollivander started shuffling through boxes. Once he apparently found the one he was looking for he came back over to the desk, placing the wand in front of Nick.

'Try this, 12 inches, Ash, dragon heartstring'

Nick grabbed the wand eagerly, waving it about, nothing happened. Nick's face fell as he handed the wand back.

'Not to worry' Ollivander simply grabbed another box for him to try

'10 inches, Cedar, unicorn tail hair'

This one caused an explosion. Nick tried several more wands, with varying effects, none of which were good.

'11 inches, Chestnut, dragon heartstring'

The second Nick touched the wand, the whole room lit up, that was the one.

'Yes, yes, wonderful, a very good wand indeed!' Ollivander explained looking relieved he'd found a match. Nick looked ecstatic and leapt back over to their parents to show off.

Harrison now took his spot in the centre of the room, Ollivander's eyes following his every move. Lily hushed Nick so they could watch.

'And your wand arm?'

'Either' Harrison stated easily, Ollivander's eyebrows went up slightly before allowing the tape measure to do its job.

Harrison couldn't help but feel slightly self-conscious as his entire body was being judged.

The first box was placed before him.

'12 inches, Ebony, Unicorn tail hair' The wand was jet black and elegant looking, Harrison took a deep breath and picked it up, giving a slight wave. A jet of air shot towards the pile of rejected wands, knocking them over.

'Perhaps not' Ollivander said, not seeming worried, already grabbing more boxes. Harrison felt his nerves growing. What if a wand didn't choose him? Could that happen?

He swallowed his nerves as he tried the next box, and the next, and the next, still no luck. Nick had a stupid grin on his face with the more wands he tried and failed to master. His parents seemingly growing worried, sharing nervous looks that Harrison pretended didn't bother him. Ollivander on the other hand seemed to only be growing more excited at the challenge.

'Try this one, 10 inches, yew, phoenix tail feather' His eyes narrowing slightly as he handed it over, his gaze flicking towards Nick for a brief moment.

It was no good.

'I think we're close' He muttered 'I wonder...'

He made his way to the very back of the shop, picking up a very dusty box from a shelf.

Looking Harrison in the eye, he placed the box in front of him

'11 inches, Holly, Phoenix tail feather'

Harrison knew this was his wand even before he touched it. But when he did, his entire body felt as if it were on fire, a warmth spread through him like he'd never felt before.

'Curious' Ollivander simply said, enticing the confused gaze of everyone in the room.

'What is?' Nick asked, now tired of waiting

'It is curious that this wand should choose young Harrison, when the phoenix that gave its feather for this wand also gave another, this wand is the brother to the wand that gave you your scar'

Everyone was silent at that, not sure what to make of it. Looking very nervous at the thought.

'Why did he get it then? He's nothing special' Nick claimed

'Nick!' Lily scolded quietly however she too looked to Ollivander for answers.

'The wand chooses the wizard Mr. Potter, that much has always been clear. What we can expect however, is great things from young Harrison, that is a powerful wand indeed!'

With that he seemed to dismiss the subject, sending the rejected wands to their places and requesting the payment of 14 galleons for the two wands.

The small party exited the shop, Lily packing away the two wands in her bag.

'Where to next then?' She asked looking at the two boys

'I want to look at the brooms' Nick stated

'First years aren't allowed remember, you aren't above the rules you know' Harrison said with a sneer

'Boys, calm down both of you' James said seeing Nick's face begin to turn red with anger

'How about me and Sirius take Nicky to look, and only look at the brooms; and Harry you go with Mum and Remus to whatever shop you want to look in next, okay?'

Everyone agreed that it was a good idea, and they arranged to meet at the robe shop in an hours' time. Harrison led the group to the book shop, wanting to not only get his school books but a few extra to read when he inevitably got bored of the course material. The Potter library was jam-packed with books on every subject you could think of, and the Black library even more so, it was no surprise therefore that Harrison had already read most of the books on his first-year list, and even a few of the second-year texts.

Lily went to stand in the long queue to get the boys' set books, and Remus wandered over to the DADA section leaving Harrison alone to browse whatever he wanted. With an armful of books of all different subjects, ranging from basic healing charms to ancient runes he made his way slowly towards the counter. He couldn't actually see where he was going and so it was no surprise when he turned a corner and was promptly knocked off his feet, books flying everywhere.

'Sorry mate, didn't see you there' a hand was thrust into Harrisons face to help him off the floor, he didn't take it, gracefully getting up and brushing the dust from his clothes. He looked up to see a boy around his age, with bright red hair, freckles, and a long thin nose; he was wearing what appeared to be hand-me-down robes and his whole appearance screamed poor.

'Maybe you should watch where you're going then, Weasley' Harrison sneered

It was quite impressive, he thought with amusement, how this boys' entire face seemed to immediately go red.

'Yeah, well you're one to talk, you didn't see me either' the Weasley boy was now clearly quite angry

'I had an armful of books, you were the one running about the place as if you were a muggle in a toy shop'

'Ron dear, where are you?' A woman's voice shouted from across the shop, causing the boy in front of Harrison to turn his head

'Go on then, go and run along to mummy' he taunted, causing the boy to go red once again before muttering something about Slytherin's and walking off.

Harrison chuckled to himself quietly and began retrieving his books from the floor, it was too easy to rile some people up.

He went to the counter and paid before walking outside to meet his mother and Remus

'All done then?' She asked, Harrison nodded in response and they all set off towards Madame Malkins' to get fitted for school robes.

'But Dad, I want a new broom! The nimbus 2000 is the best one out and I have to have it!' Harrison could hear Nick's whining from outside the shop, he rolled his eyes and walked through the door, the voices becoming louder.

'I know you want it son but you'll have to wait' James tried to explain 'you aren't even allowed to take a broom this year, maybe think about it for Christmas if classes are going well' James sighed, visibly tired of that conversation, he looked relieved when he saw them walk in the shop.

'Right then, Hogwarts first year?' Madame Malkin asked looking at the two boys in front of her, they nodded and she ushered them to stand on the two free podiums in the centre of the room.

There was a young girl stood to the right of them, she looked around 8 or 9 years old and was currently being fitted for dress robes. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw them, well, when she saw Nick.

'Y-you're Nick Potter!' She squealed, starting to bounce up and down in excitement.

Harrison rolled his eyes. This. This was what he hated most about family outings. Nick smiled at the young girl and asked her what her name was. Her parents had walked over by this point and they began a conversation with Lily and James.

'Okay dears, you can step down now, the robes will be ready to collect in an hour'

Harrison, as usual, was completely ignored by everyone as Nick posed for a photograph and signed a scrap of parchment for the girl. He instead chose to wait outside for his family to finish, not trusting his anger to stay in check any longer. Sirius followed him out.

'I know it sucks pup, but don't be angry at Nick for it' he looked sympathetically down at him, and that only angered Harrison more, but he hid it.

'Whatever'

'What are you looking forward to most about Hogwarts then?' Sirius said, seemingly eager to change the topic

Being away from Nick, he thought to himself 'Probably the classes' he replied instead. Sirius nodded 'They'll probably be easy for you, the amount you read! You might even end up in Ravenclaw at this rate'

'Hmm, maybe' Ravenclaw wasn't a place he thought he'd end up, but he'd yet to voice his opinion on houses.

The rest of the family finally made their way out of the shop, Nick looking very proud of himself, and they continued to shop for supplies before making their way home.

Once home, Harrison took his purchases to his room and laid them out on his bed. Whilst Nick had gone for a standard Hogwarts trunk, not really caring about practicality or appearance, Harrison had chosen the best he could find. It was black with silver edges and his initials 'HJP' embossed in silver. Inside were several sections, one for clothes, one for books, one for potions equipment and another for miscellaneous items. It was charmed to be feather light and to shrink and resize at a tap of his wand. He'd also paid extra for blood protection charms to be added, Harrison however didn't entirely trust his family, especially Nick, and so he would add an extra, password lock on top of those charms as soon as he could.

He began to pack away the things he wouldn't need until Hogwarts, such as his uniform, potions equipment and some of the books. Upon the recommendation of a duelling book he'd once read, he'd also bought a wand holster which he immediately attached to his right arm and slotted his wand inside. Feeling prepared, he sat on his bed and began to read his new ancient runes text until dinner.

'So, boys, ready for Hogwarts now?' James asked the two as they sat down for dinner

'I cfant wai' Nick replied, mouth already full of food and spat crumbs on the table, Harrison threw him a disgusted look before nodding his own response.

'I've already packed' Lily smiled at him 'What are you most looking forward to then?' She asked them

'The classes I think' Giving the same reply as earlier, they looked towards Nick, who at a look from their mother had finished the food in his mouth before speaking.

'Flying class, and making friends, and getting into Gryffindor, and playing pranks on people!'

'You won't play too many pranks though will you Nick? You need to focus on your schoolwork as well remember' Lily reminded him

'Leave him be Lils, a few pranks here and there won't harm anyone will it?' James replied, sending a wink to Nick and causing Lily to roll her eyes.

You wouldn't be saying that if you were the subject of the prank, Harrison thought darkly. They allowed Nick to continue rambling about Hogwarts throughout the meal, James and Lily throwing in bits of advice and memories of their own times. Harrison was struck with a thought

'How do we get sorted?'

His parents shared a knowing look before replying

'You'll find out when you get there, no one knows until they arrive so it would be unfair of us to tell you and spoil the surprise'

'I'll be in Gryffindor anyway, so it doesn't matter how we get sorted' Nick puffed up his chest causing Harrison to roll his eyes

'Only by default' He shot at Nick, who gave him a confused look in response

'What are you on about?'

'Well, you'll only be in Gryffindor by default.' as if explaining to a child 'You're too lazy for Hufflepuff, too stupid for Ravenclaw, and not ambitious enough for Slytherin, otherwise you wouldn't make Gryffindor either, not the bravest, are you?' He taunted

'I am brave!' Nick's face began to turn red

'Yeah sure, that's why you ran away from the spider in your bathroom the other day and wouldn't come back inside until Dad got rid of it'

'Harry, that's enough' His father warned

'Actually, maybe you aren't even brave enough for Gryffindor, maybe they'll just send you home instead' He smirked, ignoring his father completely.

Nick's face was completely red now

'The-boy-who-lived rejected from Hogwarts'

And with that, Nick lunged at Harrison, knocking him from his chair but was pulled away before he could land a punch.

'That's enough, both of you, to your rooms now!' Lily ordered, Nick stormed off, slamming the door on his way.

'That wasn't very nice you know' Lily said as she helped Harrison up from the floor

'He deserved it' he said with certainty and walked towards the door

'You know that it doesn't matter to us, whatever house you end up in, we'll love you and be proud of you just the same' she called out before he could leave, causing him to pause with a hand on the door, he looked back towards them

'Even Slytherin?' he questioned looking specifically at his father who nodded firmly

'Even Slytherin' he confirmed

Harrison gave a small nod and continued to make his way upstairs, perhaps they knew him better than he thought they did he mused.

He spent the rest of the evening practising the first-year charms with his new wand. He'd tried out all the wand movements before and so it didn't take him long to master the first few in the book, relishing in the euphoric feeling of his magic flowing through his veins.

 **A/N: Hello people! I hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I enjoy writing it, please review/favourite/follow etc...**

 **The next chapter will follow soon, the train ride and sorting!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello people! I hope you're enjoying it so far, here's a long chapter for you!**

Chapter 3:

Today's the day! Harrison thought as soon as he opened his eyes. The moment he'd been waiting for for as long as he could remember, Hogwarts, finally. His roomed looked quite empty now, most of his belongings in the black trunk that lay open in the middle of his floor. He opened his matching leather satchel and put his uniform to change into on the train, along with a book to read on the journey and his money pouch.

He then walked into his bathroom for the last time, and changed into his travel clothes of choice – black trousers, a grey button-down and his boots, ensuring his wand was in place on his arm he took one last look around his room. Once satisfied he had everything he would need, he shrunk the trunk, placed it inside his satchel along with the shrunken, empty bird cage. Both he and Nick had received owls for their birthday to encourage them to write home, Nick had a barn owl that he'd named Faron, and Harrison had received a beautiful snowy owl, now called Hedwig. He'd already sent her ahead to Hogwarts the night before.

He walked into the kitchen to find his parents, Sirius and Remus already sat at the table, drinking coffee, they looked up as he entered.

'Morning Harry! Are you all ready to go?' Lily asked, setting a plate of food down in front of him

'Yes, I've been packed for weeks now' He replied

'That's good dear, I wish your brother had followed your example, he's up packing now and can't find half his things!' She seemed exasperated

Speaking of, Nick half ran through the door, looking very stressed

'Mum, I can't find my wand!'

She sighed and got up to follow and help him look, shooting a look at Harrison who was trying and failing not to laugh.

Once they were all finally ready, they made their way to Kings Cross Station, reaching the barrier 15 minutes before the train was due to leave. Harrison watched as his parents, followed by Nick ran through the wall, disappearing to the other side.

'You next then cub' Remus said, gesturing for him to go

Harrison took a deep breath and ran at the wall, feeling the magic flow around him as he passed through the barrier. He looked up once he was through to see the bustling station, full of parents, grandparents and children rushing about, saying their goodbyes. He spotted his family and walked over to them, Remus and Sirius behind him.

'Okay you two, you better get on the train I suppose, oh I don't know if I'm ready for this' their Mum looked as if she were about to burst into tears

'Look after each other, Nick don't play any pranks for the first couple of weeks okay? We love you both so much!' She pulled them both into a hug

'Don't worry Mum, we'll be fine' Nick smiled at her

People were starting to point now as they noticed Nick, whispers following them

'Is that Nick Potter? I didn't know he was going to Hogwarts this year!'

Harrison rolled his eyes

'Maybe we should go and find a seat now' he suggested, his mum nodding, pulling herself together

'Yes, go on then, have fun, don't forget to write!' She pulled them in for one last hug, and they bode their goodbyes to the rest of their family before climbing on the train.

They'd made it just in time, as soon as they pulled the door shut, the train started to move, they waved to their family until they were out of sight and upon sharing a look, went their separate ways to find a compartment.

Harrison wandered down the corridor, glancing in each compartment as he went, searching for an empty one, it didn't take him long, he entered and settled himself down, opening the first-year potions book he'd packed, he'd already read it once but upon hearing stories of Snape from his family, he didn't want to be on the wrong side of the man.

He'd barely made it through the first chapter when he was interrupted by a knock on the door, he glanced up, sighing at the disturbance and gestured for whoever it was to enter.

A group of what appeared to be first years walked in.

'Do you mind if we join you? This is the first compartment we've come across to fit us all inside' Came the classic pureblooded drawl of what appeared to be the leader of the small group.

Harrison looked him up and down, taking in his appearance, blond, slicked back hair, high cheekbones and porcelain skin giving him an elegant look of nobility.

'Of course, go ahead' The door was closed behind them and they all took a seat, the blond across from him, stuck his hand out in greeting.

'Draco Malfoy, heir to the Noble and Most Ancient house of Malfoy' Harrison took the offered hand and mimicked the greeting

'Harrison Potter heir to the Noble and Most Ancient houses of Potter and Black' eyebrows were raised but once he glanced around, everyone muttered a greeting of their own

'Blaise Zabini' a tall, dark skinned boy with high cheekbones

'Pansy Parkinson' she wasn't the prettiest of girls, with a rather hard face and upturned nose

'Daphne Greengrass, heir to the Noble and Most Ancient house of Greengrass' She was pretty, blond hair and blue eyes

'These two are Crabbe and Goyle' Malfoy said, gesturing to the two brutish looking boys to his right, they grunted at the sound of their names.

Harrison shook each of the boy's hands and leant down to kiss the girls on the back of their hands, he was the heir to two pureblood lines and had made sure he knew all of the correct greetings from a young age.

'So' Zabini started 'you're a Potter, can't say I've heard much about you to be honest, I hear much more about your brother' Harrison sighed

'Okay let's get one thing straight, you all seem to have some form of intelligence about you, well' glancing at Crabbe and Goyle 'most of you anyway. So, I'll make this clear, I'm not Nick, I never will be, I'm better than him in every way and soon enough, the whole world will see that. He's an idiot who thinks he's the next merlin just because someone decided he defeated the dark lord. I don't intend to associate with him if I can help it so I'd appreciate it if any conversation involving him stops right now'

They all seemed stunned before Draco started to grin

'Well okay then, glad we got that sorted out'

And with that the conversation turned to classes, houses and pretty much anything else they could think of, Harrison's potion book lay forgotten next to him, he relished in finally having people of similar opinions to his own to talk to.

They were interrupted from their discussion about the obscure uses of dragon's liver by the compartment door slamming open.

A first-year girl stood, already in her Hogwarts uniform, she had very large front teeth and bushy hair, Harrison took an immediate disliking to her. Cowering behind her and looking as if he'd rather be anywhere but there, stood a chubby boy, Neville Longbottom, Harrison recognized him from several parties his parents had thrown in the past.

'Have any of you seen a toad, Neville here has lost one?' Her voice was very bossy, and it only added to the annoyance of the entire compartment.

'And who exactly are you?' Harrison stood up, and approached the pair

'I'm Hermione Granger, and you are?'

'Harrison Potter, heir to the most Noble and ancient houses of Potter and Black' Harrison replied, not taking the offered hand of greeting

'Any relation to the Dagworth-Granger's?' Blaise questioned

'No, both my parents are muggles' she seemed very proud of this information much to the disgust of everyone else.

Draco joined Harrison in front of the girl 'so you're a mudblood then, how dare you enter our compartment!'

'Mudblood?' She seemed confused at the term, clearly not understanding its meaning.

'It's a horrible word Hermione, we should leave, they don't think you should have magic, dirty blood' Neville explained in almost a whisper, tugging on her arm to leave, she didn't take the hint.

'Well that's not very nice! I have the right to be here just like you do' Draco snorted

'Hardly, we're all purebloods or half-bloods in this compartment, generations of witches and wizards throughout our families. We deserve to be here much more than you' He spat at her

'You're very rude you know' Harrison stated simply, aiming towards Granger

'What?' she seemed astounded that he'd come to that conclusion

'You barge in here, without even knocking might I add, prattling on about a toad that isn't even yours' he turned to Neville 'and frankly Longbottom, toads went out of fashion centuries ago, I'd hope it stays lost if I were you' turning back to Granger he continued 'you then stand here and go on about having the right to be here when you know nothing about this world we've grown up in, and let's face facts, you'll never belong here if you keep this up. Now if I were you, I'd run along and find someone else to lecture before I do something to earn myself a detention before I'm even sorted!'

And with that, she gave a rather affronted look and left the compartment.

'That was brilliant'

'Thanks Malfoy' he grinned

'Please, call me Draco'

'Then I insist you call me Harrison' he nodded and the group continued their conversations, only pausing to buy sweets from the trolley as it came past and to change into their school robes, the boys and girls taking it in turns to change and wait outside the compartment.

They all began to grown nervous as the train came to a stop, none of them aware of how they were going to be sorted.

'Firs' years ov'r 'ere' a booming voice sounded, carrying easily of the commotion of students clambering off the train. Harrison walked towards the voice, and finding its source easily, a half-giant stood above them, it was Hagrid, his parents always insisted on inviting him to parties, despite his clumsy nature almost always ending in disaster.

Hagrid led the first-years away from the rest of the students, towards a lake.

'My parents told me the first-years go by boat, and then after that you take the school carriages to the castle' Draco informed them from behind

'Four to a boat' Hagrid gestured for them all to climb in.

Harrison got in a boat with Draco, Blaise, and Crabbe. The group of first-years sailed along the dark lake, and upon turning a corner, got their first glimpse of the castle. Harrison had to admit, it was worth the 11 year wait. The moon shone behind the castle, and reflected in the lake below, the closer they got, the more he already felt at home.

The students reached the boathouse and were guided along to an open door, where stood Minerva McGonagall, another of his parents' friends and the head of Gryffindor house. She then took over from Hagrid to lead the first-years through the castle.

'Okay' she began in her strong Scottish accent 'You will wait here until we're ready for you, then I will take you into the great hall where you will be sorted into your houses. The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Your house will be like your family during your stay here, you will compete each year for the house cup, points can be earned in classes and the like, any rule breaking, and you will lose points.' And with that she disappeared into the Great Hall, leaving them behind.

Draco glanced at Harrison for a second before walking over to where Nick stood with the Weasley boy

'So, I hear Nick Potter has come to Hogwarts, I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy.' He stuck his hand out in greeting to which Nick sneered at him, big mistake Nick, big mistake, Harrison zoned out of the rest of their conversation, it boring him immediately, instead he took the time to take in the entrance hall, noting all of the stairs and doors and wondering where they led.

'They're ready for you now' McGonagall opened the door wider, allowing them to walk through.

The Great Hall was rather large, with four long tables filled with students, one for each house, and the top table containing the staff members

'The ceiling is enchanted you know, to look like the night's sky' Granger's voice echoed from behind him, he rolled his eyes and as they reached the end of the hall noted a stool and a very old looking witches hat, everyone appeared to be watching it, waiting for it to do something, and so Harrison watched it to, and refrained from jumping when it suddenly opened its mouth to sing.

 _*'Oh you may not think I'm pretty,_  
 _But don't judge on what you see,_  
 _I'll eat myself if you can find_  
 _A smarter hat than me._

 _You can keep your bowlers black,_  
 _Your top hats sleek and tall,_  
 _For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_  
 _And I can cap them all._

 _There's nothing hidden in your head_  
 _The Sorting Hat can't see,_  
 _So try me on and I will tell you_  
 _Where you ought to be._

 _You might belong in Gryffindor,_  
 _Where dwell the brave at heart,_  
 _Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_  
 _Set Gryffindors apart;_

 _You might belong in Hufflepuff,_  
 _Where they are just and loyal,_  
 _Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_  
 _And unafraid of toil;_

 _Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_  
 _if you've a ready mind,_  
 _Where those of wit and learning,_  
 _Will always find their kind;_

 _Or perhaps in Slytherin_  
 _You'll make your real friends,_  
 _Those cunning folks use any means_  
 _To achieve their ends._

 _So put me on! Don't be afraid!_  
 _And don't get in a flap!_  
 _You're in safe hands (though I have none)_  
 _For I'm a Thinking Cap!'_

Applause followed, and McGonagall, now holding a long scroll of parchment stood next to the hat.

'As I read out your name, come and sit on the stool, I will place the hat on your head and you will be sorted into your house'

Well that's a lot easier than expected, Harrison thought to himself, all we have to do is try the hat on, he marveled at the magic that must have gone into creating such an item.

'Abbott, Hannah'

The girl walked slowly up to the stand, where she sat and the hat was placed on her head, covering her eyes. She appeared nervous, tapping her fingers on the seat.

'HUFFLEPUFF' the hat shouted suddenly, causing Hannah to sigh in relief before going to join her new house.

The process continued for a while, some students taking much longer to sort than others, the Granger girl ended up in Gryffindor, thank goodness, there was little chance of Harrison ending up in that house and he didn't particularly wish to spend the next seven years with her.

The Longbottom boy had taken the longest so far, he was finally sorted into Gryffindor which shocked Harrison as the boy had seemed more Hufflepuff material, maybe the hat wasn't very accurate after all, did that mean he could end up in Gryffindor himself? He squashed the panic that began to form as snickered as the boy ran off with the hat still on his head.

As Pansy Parkinson, the girl from the train, was called up, Harrison knew he would be soon, if not next and watched on nervously as she was sorted into Slytherin.

'Potter, Harrison' McGonagall called

The hall burst into whispers

'I didn't know there was another Potter, is he a cousin or something?'

'Wait, Nick has a twin?'

He ignored everyone, and swallowing his nerves, strode confidently forward to the stool and sitting down, suddenly all he could see was darkness as the hat was placed on his head.

' **Well well, what do we have here then?'** A voice inside his head, interested, incredible bit of magic really, he wanted to know how it worked.

' **A Ravenclaw perhaps?'**

What? No, he didn't think he was a Ravenclaw, he'd read descriptions of the houses before, and he didn't really enjoy learning just for the sake of it

' **Why do you learn so much then?'**

His mind flicked back to a book he'd read once, the words 'knowledge is power' had always had a nice ring to them, something to focus his efforts on, because if he didn't have a goal then what was the point in doing anything?

' **Definitely not a Hufflepuff then, well at least we're narrowing it down slightly. Your mind truly is incredible you know, I've not seen one quite like it in many years'**

Good, he wanted to be different, as long as he was nothing like his brother, he was happy

'I'm not a Gryffindor' he thought firmly

' **Are you sure? Yes yes, I don't think you would quite fit in there, I see you keep a lot of secrets from the world, don't you? No, don't worry, I can't reveal anything I see in a student's mind. I look forward to seeing your journey through Hogwarts young Potter, you remind me of another young boy, one who I placed in Slytherin many years ago; he was brilliant too, a mind matched by only the very best, well, let's see if history is to repeat itself, or will you take a different path?'**

Harrison had no idea what the hat was talking about by this point but didn't have time to ask as it shouted

'SLYTHERIN'

Silence.

Silence for a whole ten seconds, it seemed like an eternity, the first Potter ever in Slytherin, and Nick's twin brother at that. The Slytherin table started a polite clap, followed by the Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's, Gryffindor's remained silent.

He took this as his queue to remove the hat and walk over to his new house table, sitting next to Pansy and the other first-year's. He glanced over at Nick who wore a murderous expression, then to Draco's encouraging nod. Who cares what Nick thinks, as long as Harrison is as far away from him, he's happy.

'Potter, Nicholas' the sorting continued

Nick had been under the hat for several minutes now, knuckles growing white as he gripped the stool in frustration.

'Was mine this long?' he asked Pansy, who shook her head

'No, you were only under there for about 30 seconds or so, quite fast really'

He could see Nick whispering something furiously

'Not Hufflepuff' he whispered, Pansy looked at him curiously

'What?'

'That's what he's saying' he explained 'not Hufflepuff'

She snorted, the-boy-who-lived, a Hufflepuff, it would be hilarious. Nick seemed to win the fight though unfortunately, as in the next second the hat had made a decision

'GRYFFINDOR'

The hall burst into applause and Nick took the hat off, a huge grin on his face and made his way, like a celebrity (which I suppose he was) over to the table, stopping to shake hands with people along the way.

The sorting ended quickly after that, Draco, and finally Zabini joining them at the Slytherin table, as expected.

Dumbledore stood, effectively silencing the hall

'Welcome all, to new students and old, now before we stuff ourselves with delicious treats, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you' and with that he sat down and the feast began.

Foods of all kinds appeared on the table in front of him, meats, vegetables, potatoes, and for some strange reason, a bowl of mint humbugs – a muggle sweet his mother had bought on occasion.

Harrison tucked in, grabbing a selection of lamb, veg and mashed potato.

'That's Quirrell, Potter, the new DADA professor' An older boy told him, noticing his gaze towards the head table. Quirrell was talking to Professor Snape about something, Harrison had a strange feeling about him, that only increased when they locked eyes. A sharp pain shot across his chest, causing him to gasp in pain.

'Harrison? Are you alright?' Draco looked at him concerned

'Yes, I'm fine, just indigestion I suppose' he looked towards the older boy

'Sorry, I didn't catch your name' the boy grinned slightly 'Flint, Marcus Flint, fifth-year prefect' he held out his hand and Harrison reached over to shake it.

'Do you think he'll be any good?' he questioned, noticing other students taking interest in their conversation

'I'm not sure' Flint frowned 'he used to be the muggle studies professor and rumor has it that he hasn't been the same since this summer, he encountered a vampire during his travels, that's why his turban smells so bad, it's full of garlic'

He scoffed 'He can't be that good then, a defense professor that can't even handle vampires. Besides, everyone knows that it's a myth that garlic wards them off'

Flint grinned at him 'They're just stupid rumors Potter, you of all people should know not to listen to the grapevine' he scowled at that, and turned back to his plate. The dinner had vanished by now and was replaced by an array of desserts: ice creams, chocolate, sweets, pies and tarts lined the table. Harrison helped himself to a small serving of apple pie and ice cream, not wanting to over-do it.

Dumbledore rose from his seat, once again gaining instant silence.

'Now that we are all stuffed with good food and just before we waddle back to our beds, I have a few start-of-term notices. The first, from our caretaker Argus Filch, he reminds students that magic is banned in the corridors, and the full list of banned items can be viewed outside his office. For first-years, and several of our older students' looking towards the Gryffindor table 'I remind you all that the forbidden forest is just that, forbidden to students at all times. Also, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side, is out of bounds for all students who do not wish to die a most painful death. That will be all, go and sleep the night away, for tomorrow, lessons will begin. Goodnight'

And with that, he turned and left the hall

'First-years follow me' Flint yelled above the sudden commotion

He led them down to the dungeons, through a maze of corridors that Harrison committed to memory as they went, upon reaching a large stone wall, Flint stopped and turned to face them.

'This is the entrance to the Slytherin common room' he explained 'the password, which is posted on the notice board inside, changes weekly, I suggest you commit it to memory, no one will take pity on a first-year who can't even remember a simple word'

With that, he turned back to the wall 'Pureblood' and the stone shifted, allowing them to enter the room.

It was amazing, Harrison thought as they stepped inside. It was a dark room, but dark in a comforting sort of way, filled with armchairs, sofas and tables. There were several bookshelves to one side of the room and a large fireplace at another. The stone walls were covered in green drapes and snake statues dotted everywhere. What he liked most was that the entire wall near the entrance wasn't a wall at all, but a large window giving a perfect view of the murky waters of the black lake they had sailed across earlier that evening. It was home, he thought with a smile.

The small group gathered in the centre of the room, with Flint and the female prefect in front of them. He turned once they were all in and the wall behind them closed once again.

'Right then, first-year boys' dorm is the first on the left through the door behind me, and the girls, the same but through the door over there' gesturing to the other side of the room.

'Classes start at 9am tomorrow morning and I expect you all to be here and ready to head down to breakfast together at 7. For the first couple of days a prefect with escort you to and from classes, just until you get used to the castle a bit better. Our head of house, Professor Snape, will be here in the morning at 7 to give his usual start of year talk. Don't be late.' he warned before clapping his hands together 'right then. Bed.'

The boys then walked over to the room that Flint had told them to go to. It was a fairly large room with enough beds for all of them. Each bed was a double, four-poster, covered again in green trimmings and sheets. The wood was dark and matched the desks opposite, one desk per bed, with a small bookshelf over the top. It looked quite nice upon first inspection and they quickly settled who had which bed. Harrison took the one closest to the window, and tired, full from the feast, and with the promise of classes starting the next day, they all fell asleep.

 ***Sorting hat song, credit to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone**

 **A/N: As usual, hope you enjoyed, review, favourite etc... next chapter coming soon**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hellooo, thanks for your reviews guys, it really means a lot! Hope you enjoy**

Chapter 4:

Harrison woke with a start. Another nightmare. It was still dark in the room and he could hear the soft snoring of several boys. Sighing, and knowing he would never get back to sleep, he got up and dressed into his new uniform, noting that the crest had changed to the Slytherin one overnight. He silently packed his bag for the day, and not knowing what classes he would have, he packed all his books, the feather-light charm meant it didn't make a difference how much he carried anyway.

He made his way down to the common room, the fire lit as he entered and he cast a quick tempus charm, it was only 5am. He had 2 hours to kill before the meeting, and so he got comfortable on one of the armchairs near the fire and decided to continue reading his potions book.

'You're up early' Flint said as he walked in around 6.30. There were a couple of people in the room now, friends catching up on their summer's and people scrambling to finish reading lists before classes begun.

'I'm an early-riser' he gave an easy grin, hoping it was convincing

He seemed to accept the answer and went over to the First-year boys' room to make sure the others were getting up.

Come 7 O'clock, everyone was in the room and in came Snape.

He was tall, his dark hair lay limply on his head, his skin was pale and he had a hooked nose. His appearance was slightly imposing and the only thing Harrison took a liking to was the way his cloak billowed around him as he walked.

'Good-morning Slytherin' he drawled.

He had a slow voice, but not in a boring way, it was the kind of voice that had you hooked onto every word he said, demanding attention, all in all Harrison was quite impressed by the man.

'Right then, first-years, and for those of you who have forgotten.' he said, looking specifically at a few of the older students 'We have several rules in Slytherin that you will abide by. The first: We remain a united front. You will soon realise that the students and most of the staff in this school are biased, they believe all Slytherin's to be the root of evil, and for this reason, no matter what your differences, no matter what arguments go on inside this common room, to the rest of the school, we are one. We protect our own, and there are no exceptions, and you all are included in this now' His eyes rested on Harrison for a few seconds before sweeping over the rest of the room.

'Rule two' he continued 'if you absolutely must pick fights, play pranks and otherwise break the rules, then you do not get caught. . . You are Slytherin's, you are supposed to be cunning, these are the most important rules we have. Do not break them. If you do, you will answer to me. If you get a detention from another Professor or more than 10 points taken in a week, you will answer to me.' he let that settle for a few moments.

Harrison thought the rules were reasonable, and he quite liked the first one, it made them feel more like a family unit.

'The full list of rules is on the notice board, I expect you all to read and remember them. Now, on another note, my door is always open to you, no matter the time or day, I am here to help and guide you with whatever you may need. I don't care who your parents are or what they may or may not have done. I will help you, and so will the prefects, so don't be afraid to come to us for assistance. First-years' he addressed them 'you will each have a meeting with me at some point this month, I will meet with each of you again before Christmas to ensure you are settling in well. The prefects will escort you to breakfast now and I shall give out timetables whilst you eat.' And with that, he left.

'What were you doing up so early today? Too excited?' Draco asked, turning towards him as they followed the crowd to breakfast.

'Yes, that, and I'm an early riser anyway. I wanted to make sure I was prepared for classes' Harrison replied 'I've also written a letter to send to my parents later today'

They settled down to eat, Draco to Harrison's right-hand side, and the Zabini boy to his left, the rest of the first years scattered around them. Harrison glanced around the hall, noting that the Gryffindor table was mostly empty, and those that had started to eat, looked very tired and scruffy. He couldn't imagine going to classes looking the way they did, but they didn't appear to care.

The timetables were being passed around and he took the one with his name at the top. He would have 7 classes this year, and they were split over a two-week timetable beginning at 9am and ending at 5pm, with breaks in between.

'So, we've got Transfiguration first, followed by charms, then lunch, a study period and double potions' Zabini read out

'Tough first day' Draco noted, not seeming too bothered

'Who are the classes with?' Daphne asked, looking down at her own sheet

'Transfiguration and Potions with Gryffindor's, and charms with Ravenclaw's' Harrison added

'Why do they insist on pairing us with Gryffindor?' he asked with slight disgust 'We're with them for Transfiguration, Potion, flying and DADA. Surely they know it won't end well?' he added

'They do it every year' Flint shot in, overhearing the conversation 'Personally I think Dumbledore enjoys the chaos.'

And speaking of chaos, Nick walked into the hall, followed by a long line of first and second-year girls begging for autographs. He scowled at Harrison as they walked past and he merely rolled his eyes in response. He fit in quite well with the Gryffindor's, Harrison thought watching him sit down next to the Weasley boy. They both had a rather dishevelled appearance, shirts untucked and ties not done up properly, and the way Nick was shoving food down his throat as if he'd never eat again, their mother must be so proud, he thought sarcastically.

At 8.45, the first-year Slytherin's stood up and followed the prefects to their first class of the day, Transfiguration. It was a rather easy route despite the changing staircases, and Harrison thought he would find his way around the castle alone soon enough. They all sat on one side of the classroom, Harrison sharing a desk with Draco, at the front of the room, a cat sat upon the desk; it was a tabby, with markings like glasses around its eyes. Harrison, of course, knew that Professor McGonagall was an Animagus, and so the cat must be her.

His parents had told him that she was a strict, no-nonsense, and yet fair Professor, and also a brilliant teacher, however being Gryffindor's themselves, he thought they may be rather biased. He would have to wait and see.

At 9.05, his brother and the ginger, the only people yet to arrive, ran into the room. They were out of breath and looked even more scruffy than before.

'Phew' Weasley sighed in relief looking around the classroom

'Can you imagine the look on...'

He didn't get to finish his sentence though, as the cat suddenly pounced off the desk, smoothly transforming into McGonagall as she went. He thought it was an incredible feat of magic, a true testimony to the power she must hold. His father and Sirius had promised to teach him and Nick how to do it themselves as soon as they were old enough.

Deep in thought, he'd clearly missed the conversation that had gone on between the professor and his brother, as they were now taking their seats, looking rather red in the face as they did.

'Right then' she began, walking back to the front of the room and facing them

'Today we are going to be attempting to transfigure matchsticks into needles'

She demonstrated the task and wrote the incantation on the board. For the first 10 minutes, she had them simply practising the pronunciation and wand movements, which Harrison found rather boring seeing as he'd already practised this one at home.

Once satisfied that they weren't going to blow themselves up, she passed around matchsticks and told them to get on with it.

Harrison twirled his wand around in his hands, looking at his matchstick. He then closed his eyes for a moment, imagining the stick was in fact a needle all along, and muttered the incantation, feeling the magic with every fibre in his being. He opened his eyes to the sight of a perfect needle. He smiled as the usual euphoric feeling disappeared. He loved magic.

'How did you do that?' Draco asked next to him, a look of disbelief in his eyes

Harrison looked down at Draco's matchstick, which was now silver but other than that it hadn't changed, looking around the room he noted that most people hadn't even managed that.

'Well' he started, trying to think of a way to explain 'what are you thinking of when you cast the spell?'

Draco looked confused for a moment before replying

'What do you mean? I'm thinking of the incantation, and about changing the matchstick to a needle'

Harrison shook his head slightly

'That's not enough' he began 'You have to mean it, you have to want it with everything you have, try imagining the matchstick as a needle already, and you're simply trying to turn it back into its original shape. It's all about intention' he finished.

'Very well said Mr. Potter' a voice sounded behind him, he turned to see McGonagall smiling down at him.

'5 points to Slytherin for a perfect transfiguration, and take another 5 for a perfect understanding of the theory'

He spent the rest of the class assisting the Slytherin's and trying to get his needle to look a little nicer. By the end of the class, half of the Slytherin's had perfect needle's, Harrison's however had the Slytherin crest etched into it, it was surprisingly easy to change the appearance once you had the basic form down. The Gryffindor's on the other hand hadn't done so well, most of them still had matchsticks, a couple had changed either the colour or the shape slightly; only his brother and the Granger girl had managed a full needle. He thought his first class had gone very well, and he only hoped the classes would get more interesting the further into the year they got.

'Oi, Harry' Nick shouted behind him as they left the classroom, he turned and waited for him to approach. He walked over with Weasley following closely behind.

'So' he began with a smirk 'turns out you are a slimy snake after all'

'How could you betray your brother like that' the Weasley boy questioned

'What on Earth are you talking about?' Harrison asked

'Well' the Weasley began 'your brother is the-boy-who-lived, so why are you associating with people like him?' he gestured towards Draco 'There's not a witch or wizard that went bad who wasn't in Slytherin.' He stated with certainty

Harrison shook his head slightly at Draco, who had pulled out his wand, and stepped forward himself.

'Peter Pettigrew' he stated, looking Nick directly in the eye

He began to shift uncomfortably

'Yeah, well, that's one person, everyone in Slytherin goes bad!' Nick was angry now

'Merlin was a Slytherin, he didn't go bad' he didn't know why Nick was egging for a fight on the first day of school, but Harrison wasn't going to rise to it, no matter how much he wanted to use him to practice some rather interesting hexes he'd found in one of his books.

The boys' seemed hesitant now, and clearly angry, Weasley pulled out his own wand and raised it towards Harrison

'I wouldn't if I were you' he stated before the boy could utter a single word

'You do that, and you will start something you won't be able to finish. So, tell me Weasley, what would you rather? You can walk away right now and I'll forget this ever happened, alternatively, you could attempt a spell, and by the looks of your work in transfiguration, I don't think you'll manage it. And then, it will be my turn, and I assure you that I won't miss, I will also stop holding back Draco here, I'm sure he'd love a chance to defend himself from what you implied earlier' he paused for a moment before continuing.

'That second option will end with you and probably Nick in the hospital wing, I'll also inform Professor Snape that you started a fight in which I was forced to defend myself, and you'll also gain several detentions and probably a large loss of house points on the first day of school.'

They seemed shocked, and Weasley looked towards Nick, clearly unsure of what to do. Nick looked at Harrison in disbelief for a moment, before grabbing Weasley's arm and walking off.

'Again, that was brilliant' Draco said next to him

He smirked slightly and they rushed to find Charms class, not wanting to be late.

Charms was rather boring, they didn't actually do any magic, only theory and a bit of practice of wand movement for the levitation charm. He had already practised this charm at home and therefore spent most of the lesson reading ahead.

After charms, he headed up to the Owlery to send his letter. As he walked in the room, Hedwig flew over to him, landing on his shoulder and rubbed her head against his affectionately, he spent several moments petting her before reviewing his letter, adding a few lines as he did.

 _Mum and Dad,_

 _As expected, I have been sorted into Slytherin, I hope that you meant what you said to me and my house doesn't matter._

 _Nick, as I'm sure he's told you, was sorted into Gryffindor._

 _Classes today have been okay, we changed a matchstick to a needle in Transfiguration – I was the first to complete it, and charms was rather boring being only theory today. We have Potions later, which I'm looking forward to._

 _Hope you are all well,_

 _Love, Harrison_

He debated putting his near fight with Nick in the letter, but decided against it not knowing how his parents will feel about Draco, and preferring to have things to hold against Nick in the future. He folded the letter and gave it to Hedwig, who with one last nip of his fingers, flew off and Harrison made his way down to lunch.

He sat next to Draco again, joining in their conversation about the classes so far

'How did you manage the needle as quickly as you did Harrison?' Daphne asked him in wonder

'I'd practised most of the spells at home already' he confessed

'So did I, but I can't make a needle with the Slytherin crest etched into it!' Draco exclaimed, grabbing the attention of several older students

'You did that in your first lesson?' A boy further down the table asked him, looking shocked

Harrison felt a little uncomfortable now

'Well, it's all about intention isn't it? So, once you have the basic shape it's quite easy to change the appearance' He tried to explain

'Hmm, I never thought of it like that, I'll have to try it next time' he seemed to be lost in thought

They all finished their lunch quickly after that and the first-years headed back to the common room. The list of meetings with Professor Snape had been pinned to the notice board, Harrison was meeting with him on Friday evening, at 6pm. He wondered what the meeting would be about, and the group sat down to complete the homework they'd already been given. It wasn't too long, but Harrison wanted to find out more about changing the appearance of transfigured objects, he couldn't find anything in his books and so suggested they head and check out the library.

It was a large room, with hundreds of bookshelves reaching the ceiling, and a roped off section at the back of the room he assumed was the restricted section, he could only imagine the kind of knowledge held within those books.

He found the transfiguration section and started flicking through the books, trying to find what he wanted.

'Hi' a small voice came from behind him, he turned to see a young Hufflepuff girl stood shifting from foot to foot, clearly nervous

'Yes?' he asked

'You're Nick Potter's brother, right?' he sighed

'I am' her smile widened

'Could you get his autograph for me please? My name's Emily, I'm a second-year' she explained

He hated this sort of thing, why couldn't people see that he was his own person, he didn't want to be constantly associated with his brother.

'If you want an autograph from him, I suggest you ask him yourself. I'm not Nick's PA, and if you haven't noticed, I'm actually quite busy right now so please leave.' He left her, mouth open in shock and took his books back to the table they'd settled on.

'What did she want?' Zabini asked, noting his angry expression

'Nick' he explained simply, clearly not wanting to talk about it and so they dropped the subject, turning back to their homework instead.

'Hey Potter, what have you put for the uses of the levitation charm?' Zabini asked

In response, Harrison merely passed him one of the books from his pile

'Chapter 4' he paused before continuing 'and call me Harrison'

Zabini grinned in response, taking the book 'And I, Blaise' he nodded.

Once the study period was over the group of Slytherin's had completed their homework and set off for Potions.

 **A/N: Well, once again please review, favourite etc etc, hope you're enjoying the story so far and the next chapter will be posted soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait but I hope it's worth it, enjoy!**

Chapter 5:

They headed down to the dungeons and into the Potions classroom, finding it mostly empty aside from the bushy haired Gryffindor girl. The room was dark and filled with desks, stools and cauldron stands with Professor Snape's desk at the front of the room next to a large blackboard already filled with the instructions to a cure for boils potion. Harrison found the room to be rather comforting with a similar feeling to the Slytherin common room.

They found their seats and pulled out Potions text books and cauldrons from their bags along with ingredients for the Potion on the board and their phials ready to bottle up the finished result. Harrison, having read the text already, pulled out glass phials and suggested the others use glass rather than crystal as it would preserve this particular potion better.

'How do you know these things?' Daphne asked him

'I read' he smirked in response, causing her to stick her tongue out at him, amused he shook his head slightly.

The classroom had filled up considerably during this. As in Transfiguration, the Slytherin's stuck to one side of the room and the Gryffindor's on the other. Exactly on the hour Professor Snape stormed through into the room, door slamming shut behind him, he strode directly to the desk at the front and turned to face them.

'Good Afternoon. My name is Professor Snape and as I'm sure you are aware, I will be your Potions teacher. Every lesson, I will arrive on the hour and that door will close behind me, if you are late, you will not attend the class and will receive a zero for the day along with detentions and point loss for your absence'

He paused, allowing that to sink in, the Gryffindor's were looking at him in outrage but Harrison thought it to be a reasonable rule.

He then took a roll call, pausing only at Nick's name.

'Ah yes' he said softly 'Nick Potter. Our new – celebrity'

It was laced with sarcasm and Harrison couldn't help but grin. At least his head of house saw through the celebrity status that seemed to cloud everyone else's judgement.

Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class.

'You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making' He began  
'As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through the human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper in death – that is if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach'

Silence followed the speech. Harrison was captivated by the professor, he had been fascinated by potions for years, watching his mother as she made them and experimented, his father had always told him that she was the best potions maker in their years at school, she had always denied it saying it was Snape. He had to agree with her however. Snape seemed to have a love for potions and an understanding of it far beyond any book he'd ever read on the subject, and Harrison couldn't wait to learn from the man.

'Potter!' said Snape suddenly 'Nick Potter' he clarified

'What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?'

Harrison turned to see Nick's puzzled face

'I don't know sir' he answered quietly

Snape's lips curled into a sneer.

'Tut-tut, fame clearly isn't everything is it Mr. Potter?'

The Granger girl was waving her hand in the air as if hailing a bus, Snape ignored her.

'Let's try again, Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?'

His face had turned very red now and he didn't respond. Harrison smirked.

'No?' Snape asked with a sneer 'one last try, what's the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?'

'I don't know but clearly Hermione does, why not ask her?' Nick replied with a cocky grin

'Put your hand down, you stupid girl' he snapped at Granger, who immediately lowered her hand, eyes filling with tears.

Snape walked over to stand in front of Nick, who suddenly didn't look so sure of himself.

'Harrison, the answers to the questions?'

He immediately straightened his back and answered confidently, with a slight smirk on his face.

'Asphodel and wormwood make a very strong sleeping potion known as the draught of living death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat, it will cure you from most poisons, however in a pinch I would suggest you look in a nearby potions store or perhaps the infirmary.' Snape's eyes shone with slight amusement for a mere second

'And as for Monkshood and Wolfsbane, the only difference is the name. They are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite' he finished with a slight nod.

Snape smirked and turned back to Nick, whose face was red once again.

'So why, Mr. Potter, does your brother know the answers to those questions and you don't?'

'He doesn't have a life. All he does is read' Nick muttered, causing Weasley to snort

'Harrison. Where did you find that information?' Snape asked.

'The first two chapters of the potions book sir'

'5 points from Gryffindor for your cheek and lack of preparation, Potter. And 5 points to Slytherin'

He stalked back to the front of the room, settling himself in his chair.

'You are brewing the cure for boils, page 4 of your book and the instructions are also on the board. Work in pairs. You have the remainder of the lesson to complete it. Begin.'

Having already got the required ingredients, the Slytherin group quickly got to work. Harrison pairing with Draco, they began chopping and preparing. Harrison adding in an extra stir or ingredient as per his notes from other books, the basic instructions would do but they wouldn't quite make a perfect potion. He explained this to Draco after he started protesting.

A yelp came from behind them and they turned to see Longbottom's potion melting in front of him.

'Idiot boy!' Snape strode over, banishing the mess with a flick of his wand

'I suppose you added the porcupine quills before removing it from the fire?' He then rounded on Nick and Weasley, whose potion didn't look much better.

'And I suppose you thought it would be funny, make you look good if he did it wrong eh Potter? That's another 5 points you've lost' Nick looked as though he wanted to say something, but decided not to.

'How are you two even related?' Draco whispered to him as they bottled their perfect potion.

'Something I've wondered for years' He muttered, filling a spare phial with the remains of the potion and placing it in his bag before taking the other phial to Snape's desk receiving a nod from the Professor before leaving the room.

'Well that was interesting' Draco said as they made their way to the common room

'He seems like a good Professor, if a bit on the cautious side, I mean, we could have done that potion individually. But then again, by the looks of the Gryffindor's perhaps it's for the best.' Draco snorted

'As Snape said, a bunch of dunderheads' Harrison smirked in response.

They settled on the chairs in a far corner of the common room, Draco and the others pulled out their homework from earlier in the day to add the finishing touches and Harrison pulled out a book to read whilst they finished.

'What are you reading?' Blaise asked, putting away his parchment.

Harrison merely raised his book so they could see the title, eyes never leaving the page.

'Advanced potions? Isn't that a third-year text?' the others looked up in shock at that, Harrison sighed and put the book down

'It is but it's still pretty basic, I'm reading it for the theory more than anything seeing as I won't be trying any of the potions any time soon, it's quite interesting, and it helps you get a better understanding of why certain things happen' they all looked confused so he continued

'For example,' he tried to explain 'in the potion we did today step 4 told us to stir the potion five times clockwise to obtain a deep green colour, but in this book it says that adding in an extra counterclockwise stir at the end will slow the potions mixing speed, allowing you time to add one more porcupine quill and obtaining a perfect forest green' he finished.

He looked at the others to find them stunned.

'It's really not that complicated' he added before returning to his book.

'Nope, no more reading tonight' Daphne said, plucking the book from his hands, he raised an eyebrow at her in response

'We're doing something fun' she insisted

'Reading is fun' he muttered but complied never the less as she pulled out a chess board and a pack of exploding snap cards.

'How are you so good at everything?' Draco whined as they made their way to dinner

Harrison smirked 'I'm not, just better than you'

'Aww, is Draky going to cry?' Daphne teased, causing them all to laugh and Draco to pout even more

'Don't call me that!' he insisted. Bad move Draco, Harrison thought as a spark appeared in Daphne's eyes

'Draky, Draky, Draky. So, Draky, what are you going to have for dinner?' She asked innocently as Draco fumed.

'Cut it out you two' Blaise shot in 'Gryffindor's' he gestured at the group walking past them, first-years like them, including his brother.

'Don't worry Nick' they overheard 'we'll find some way of getting to the Snake's, and Snape is the worst one of the lot'

'Yeah' Nick's voice sounded 'greasy bat, I don't know why Dumbledore lets him teach to be honest, he's horrible'

Idiot, Harrison thought, settling himself down at the Slytherin table and grabbing a plate full of food.

He woke up in the middle of the night again. More nightmares, three in a row, that's a new record he thought to himself.

'Tempus' he whispered to find out that it was 3am, wonderful, he thought sarcastically. He briefly wondered if Nick ever had dreams about that night before dismissing the thought quickly seeing as he didn't really care, and besides, he would have bragged about it or moaned to their parents at least if he had.

Again, he climbed out of bed and got dressed in the bathroom, not wanting to wake anyone up. He didn't particularly feel like reading at this time and found himself wandering out of the common room to explore the castle a bit.

The castle was very different at night, silent and with almost an edge of danger to it. The lanterns were all out and so it took a few moments before Harrison's eyes adjusted to the light, he didn't want to use his wand just in case someone was still patrolling. He found himself headed towards the library, not really knowing where anything else was, he thought it was the perfect time to try the restricted section and see just what it had to offer him.

He inched the door open slowly, the heavy wood creaking slightly, the sound echoed in the silence causing him to stop dead, heart pounding. He heard no footsteps and so slipped through the gap and into the large room, instantly calmed by the wonderful smell of books.

Harrison's pace quickened as he headed towards the back of the room, he stepped carefully over the velvet rope that separated him from all the knowledge he desired. There weren't many shelves back there, only a dozen or so, but the anticipation filled him with joy as he reached the first shelf and reached out to pull a book from its grasp.

'And what exactly do you think you're doing?'

He nearly screamed at the sound and turned sharply to see his head of house looming above him.

'I-I, I don't know sir' he stuttered, causing Snape to raise an eyebrow

'With me' he said simply, turning and walking out of the room, Harrison didn't dare disobey, and followed quickly, having to almost jog to keep up the pace.

He was led down to the dungeons and through to the Professor's office, who turned and gestured to a chair in front of the desk. Harrison sat down immediately and Snape took his own chair behind the desk.

'So, Mr. Potter. It is the second night of school and you are already breaking the rules. Please explain to me why you feel the urge to follow in your Father's arrogant footsteps and decided to not only wander the corridors at half past three in the morning, but also decided to go into the restricted section of the library.'

Harrison didn't respond choosing instead to look at the floor, Snape edged forward in his seat slightly, eyes boring into his skull.

'That was by no means a request. Answer me. And look at me when you do so' he said through gritted teeth.

Harrison swallowed and took a deep breath before moving his eyes to look at the man's rather large nose, not wishing to look in his eyes.

'I-I couldn't sleep sir, and so I went to the common room to read. But sort of found myself wandering further and once I was out of the room, I just carried on, the library is the only place I've really been to so I went there to look at the books' he stammered.

'Tell me Mr. Potter, what is the meaning of the word restricted?' he asked, leaning back in his seat again.

'I didn't realise what part of the library I was in sir'

'Do not lie to me Mr. Potter. You will sorely regret it the next time you do. Do you understand me?'

Harrison nodded slightly, annoyed that Snape didn't believe the lie.

'A verbal answer if you please'

'Yes sir' he muttered.

'Good' Snape seemed to relax slightly 'now, why couldn't you sleep?' he asked, the stern demeaner vanishing.

Harrison didn't really want to admit he had a nightmare, it was embarrassing and weak.

'I'm not sure sir, I suppose I'm still getting used to things here, it's very different to home' he explained, it wasn't really a lie.

Snape nodded, eyes softening slightly

'I know it can be difficult, Harrison, but you will get used to it, you seem to be making friends easily and judging by the potion you handed in today, I doubt lessons will be a problem for you. But you cannot go around breaking rules, Slytherin loses enough points as it is without you adding to it just because you're bored' he explained

'On another note, the restricted section, is no place for a first-year student, no matter how smart you may be. The books in that room are there for a reason, there's some very dangerous magic in there that if you attempted, you would seriously harm yourself and anyone around you. If I find you near there again without permission, you will be scrubbing cauldrons for a month. Do I make myself clear?'

Harrison nodded 'Yes sir'

'Good. Now go straight back to the common room and stay there until morning. Oh, and here, this should keep you busy today' he handed Harrison a slip of parchment that said ' _I will not wander the corridors after curfew and I will not go near the restricted section without permission'_

'I want 200 of those on my desk by the next potions lesson' Harrison opened his mouth in outrage but Snape cut him off 'If you complain, or they are late, you will only add a week of detention, so don't even think about it' he shut his mouth quickly and stood to leave, pausing by the door.

'Sir? How did you know I'd left the common room?' he wondered

Snape smirked slightly 'I am the head of Slytherin, I make sure I know what you're all up to' he paused before adding 'there is a spell on the door that alerts me if someone leaves after curfew, so I'd think twice before trying it again.'

Harrison nodded, and headed back. It was 4am and he was wide awake now so sat down to start his lines before the others woke up. It was mind numbing work and he got bored after 100 or so lines, so he packed it away and pulled out his herbology book to go over before the class that morning.

'Do you get up early every morning?' Draco asked groggily sitting down opposite him, Harrison glanced up from the book

'What time is it?' he frowned, no one else was up yet

'6.30, the others are just getting dressed' he replied with a frown 'why? How long have you been up?'

'A while' he replied nonchalantly 'want to play chess?' he asked, putting his book away, he'd enjoyed beating the boy the day before as Draco had told him he'd never been beaten by anyone the same age before. Draco shrugged in response and agreed to a quick game before breakfast.

They had a study period first thing and so the first-year Slytherin's headed to the library to read ahead for their lessons. They had formed a kind of study group, mostly to help Crabbe and Goyle, Harrison personally thought it pointless to try and teach them anything but nevertheless, they could be useful in their own ways so he would rather they were on his side.

'What else do we have today?' Daphne asked

'Herbology and potions again' Blaise responded

Harrison paused his note taking, a slight panic rising in his chest.

'We have potions today?' he started scrambling through his bag for his lines

'We didn't have any homework, don't worry. Wait, we didn't have any right?' Draco asked in a panic

'No, don't worry' Harrison said, continuing his writing. Draco leant over to see what he was doing.

'You went out last night? Why didn't you ask me to go?' he complained

'I didn't exactly plan it, I just woke up and started walking' Harrison explained.

'Who caught you?' Daphne asked curiously

'Snape' he muttered, causing their eyebrows to rise

'The older Slytherin's say his punishments are brutal, what did he give you?' Blaise looked over to see what he was writing

'200, to give him in our next potions lesson, which I didn't realise was today' annoyed, Harrison stopped answering their questions in favour of concentrating on writing and ignoring the ever-growing ache in his arm. He managed to finish them just before the end of the period and they all set off for Herbology.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Another chapter for you, thank you for reading, keep reviewing - it makes me happy! Enjoy**

Chapter 6:

It was Friday, the end of the first week of school and so far, Harrison was impressed; despite the ease of lessons, he could tell that the professors knew their subjects – with the exception of Quirrell who was just a bumbling idiot. He couldn't wait to learn more from them and the library was to die for.

He and the other Slytherin's made their way to flying class, Harrison already knew how to fly and thought himself to be quite good despite his lack of interest. His father and brother were both obsessed and Harrison had been forced throughout his childhood to join in games to make up the numbers.

They walked out onto the training grounds where two rows of brooms had been placed on the grass, most of the class were already there and so they quickly took their places.

'Good-morning first-years!' Madame Hooch, he thought as she walked in between the two rows of students, she had wild, short hair that made her look as though she'd just been flying through a storm and bright yellow, piercing eyes giving her an appearance that reminded Harrison of an owl.

'Today we will be starting with the basics of flying' she began 'everyone: step up to your brooms, place your hand directly above, and say 'up'' she demonstrated, her broom flying directly into her hand.

Harrison cleared his throat slightly and did as instructed, his broom arrived in his hand with a satisfying smack, he looked up to see how the others were getting along. Draco had managed it, and so had Nick. Most people however seemed to be struggling, Daphne in particular looked very worried.

'The broom knows you're nervous, try and say it with more confidence' he encouraged

'I hate flying' she muttered before taking a large breath and shouting 'UP' and the broom flew up into her awaiting hand. She looked up at his gratefully, and he grinned in response.

'Okay everybody, mount your brooms and upon my whistle: kick off from the ground, hold it steady for a few seconds and then touch back down'

Everyone mounted their brooms and Hooch went around correcting grip and positions. Harrison found it particularly amusing as she told Weasley his grip was wrong.

'But I always fly like that!'

'Then you've been doing it wrong' she replied simply before moving on to the next person.

'Okay, is everyone ready? Good. And three, two, one' and with that she blew her whistle.

Everyone kicked off, a few people seemed shaky but the brooms were rubbish and even Harrison found it difficult to control. He set his feet back on the floor as did most people. Longbottom however, seemed to be losing control. And just as Harrison thought it, Longbottom flew up in the air, screaming the entire way.

'Bet you 2 galleons he breaks something' Harrison whispered to Draco who shook on it, Blaise rolled his eyes at them.

Longbottom had let go of the broom and was now only holding on by his legs, he was coming back down to the ground at an alarming rate and Madame Hooch had her wand trained on him, ready for anything. They all watched in anticipation as he flew directly towards the wall of the castle, letting go of the broom completely as he hit a metal grate, his robe catching on it briefly before ripping causing him to fall to the ground with a crunch.

Madame Hooch ran over to him, picking him up from the floor, he was crying and holding a limp looking arm.

'You're okay dear, just a broken wrist, we'll have you fixed in no time at all' she looked towards the rest of the class 'You are all to remain here whilst I take Longbottom to the hospital wing. Do not use the brooms. Anyone caught flying will be out of Hogwarts before they can say Quidditch.' And with that she left.

Draco walked over to where the boy had fallen, picking something up from the floor and holding it up to show them.

'Remembrall' he said 'Maybe if Longbottom had given this a squeeze, he'd have remembered to fall on his fat arse' Blaise snorted.

'Give it here Malfoy' Nick stepped forwards, Weasley at his side looking outraged.

Draco grinned before replying 'I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find' he mounted his broom and set off, shouting down at them 'How about on the roof' he laughed.

Nick grabbed his own broom, preparing himself to join Draco, the Granger girl stepped forward at this point. 'Nick you can't. You heard what Madame Hooch said, do you want to get expelled?' she shrieked.

Nick ignored her and mounted his broom, she looked to Harrison instead 'can't you do something?'

'Why should I? It's their own decision, if they get expelled it's on them, not me. Besides' he said as Nick shot off 'if Nick goes, maybe I'll get some peace.' She looked outraged

'You're his brother!' she shouted

'Yes, I am aware of that thank you' he dismissed

'Leave him alone, filthy mudblood' Nott said, coming up behind him. Weasley's face turned red and before anyone knew what had happened, he was on top of Nott, punching him in the face. The Gryffindor's pulled him off, pointing to the sky and they all looked up to see what was going on. Draco and Nick seemed to be in a very heated conversation and all of a sudden, Draco threw the Remembrall towards the castle, Nick shot after it at top speed. Harrison rolled his eyes as he expertly caught it before landing gracefully on the floor.

'Mr. Potter' they turned to see McGonagall striding towards them

'Follow me' she said before walking back in the castle. Nick looked nervous as he ran after her and Harrison went over to Nott to fix his obviously broken nose.

'Episky' he said, he knew it would come in handy to know a few basic healing charms

'Thanks Potter' he shook his head 'Harrison' Nott grinned in response 'Theo'

He got up from the floor, brushing the dirt from his robes just as a bell sounded, signaling the end of the period, they all started to walk towards the castle in response, Daphne gripped the back of Harrison's robes slightly, holding him back.

She waited until the others had walked out of hearing range before speaking

'Are you okay?' she asked, he frowned, confused

'Of course, why wouldn't I be?'

'I don't know' she muttered 'I thought you'd care if someone used that word towards a muggleborn, but instead you make friends with them' he sighed

'because of my mother?' she nodded

'I agree that there are exceptions to every rule and there are many great muggleborns in this world that have contributed greatly to our society' he paused 'however, people like Granger disgust me. She enters this world thinking that she belongs here immediately. She doesn't try to fit in, she doesn't try to learn our ways and instead tries to tell us how things should be done. It's frustrating. If I had been born a squib and had to live in the muggle world, I would learn their ways and blend in, I wouldn't go in telling them they should write with quills and parchment and wear robes. It's just not how it's done' he finished his rant feeling satisfied.

'You're a lot different to how I imagined you'd be you know' he grinned in response and they walked back into the castle just in time for lunch.

'I heard what happened during your flying class' Flint said as they started the meal

'And I personally have no problem with what happened, however, if Professor Snape hears about it then he won't be easy on either of you' looking at Draco and Theo

'Why me?' Theo asked and Flint sighed before continuing

'He hates the use of the word mudblood, his punishments are extremely harsh when if he catches anyone using it' he warned before turning back to his own meal.

At that moment Nick walked into the room, looking as if Christmas had come early. Odd, Harrison thought.

'Shouldn't he be looking miserable right about now?' Draco asked, the others nodded, confused.

Nick strolled right over to the Slytherin table and aimed straight for Harrison.

'Guess what' he said, about to burst with excitement.

'Well I assume you haven't been expelled, unless of course that was what you wanted' he drawled

'I'm the new Gryffindor seeker!' he boasted, Draco choked on his sandwich and the entire Slytherin table went silent.

'That's not allowed!' Flint shouted 'It's blatant favoritism!'

'Not if I actually am better than everyone else' he puffed up his chest and Harrison grinned.

'Thanks Nick!'

'What for?' he looked confused

'The heads up so the Slytherin team won't be shocked when they see you walk out onto the pitch for the first game' he said cheerily. Nick turned red suddenly, his grin fading.

'Well' he seemed uncertain now 'We'll still win!' and with that he turned around and left.

'Is he as good as he thinks he is?' Flint asked, worry clear in his eyes

'Almost' Harrison muttered 'But it still isn't fair'

'What can we do though?' Blaise asked 'Dumbledore isn't exactly known for favouring Slytherin's'

Harrison mused over this for the rest of the meal, deciding to bring it up during his meeting with Professor Snape later that evening.

At 6pm, Harrison knocked on the office door in the dungeons. He felt slightly nervous, not knowing what to expect and the last time he was there wasn't a pleasant experience.

'Enter' he heard from inside, so he pushed the door open and sat in the chair opposite the desk.

Professor Snape seemed to be finishing grading papers and so he waited in silence until Snape sighed, wrote a T at the top of the parchment and put his quill down before settling his eyes on Harrison. He couldn't seem to bring himself to look the man in the eyes, feeling a slight headache forming whenever he did.

'So' Snape began 'Harrison, you've had a week now to settle into the routine and get used to the classes. How do you think you're doing with that?' he asked softly

'Um, it seems okay I suppose' he replied, Snape raised an eyebrow in response, clearly wishing him to expand.

'The classes are good, if a little boring at the moment, but that was to be expected I guess.'

'Yes, well, when one reads as much as you seem to, the pace of the general public can be a little mundane' he replied

'You seem to have settled well into Slytherin. I obviously had my concerns when you were placed into my house, given who your family are' he seemed to notice the annoyed look given in response, looking rather amused.

'I don't want to be known for my family' he decided to say family rather than brother, but the point was understood

'Hense why you were placed in Slytherin' he added with a slight grin 'you feel as if people favour your brother over you simply because of who he is?' he asked softly

'Mostly, our parents aren't really like that, but the amount of people that ask me about him is ridiculous, it's like they don't even see me. I want to be known for me, not because I'm his brother. I'm glad I'm in Slytherin, at least the people in my house aren't like that'

Snape nodded 'You get along with everyone?'

'Yes, even before we got to school, I traveled with Draco and the others on the train and it was incredible to finally have someone my own age to talk to. I used to try with Nick, but he doesn't care about the same things as me, we're completely different.' Snape didn't comment, merely nodding absently

'Well, it seems you're doing well overall. Are you sleeping any better?'

Harrison nodded slightly 'It's been fine the last couple of days'

'Okay, well, let me know if you're struggling and I can sort something out for you' he paused as if deep in thought before shaking his head slightly 'is there anything you wanted to ask me or talk about?'

'Yes actually' he explained what had happened during their flying lesson, leaving out a couple of unnecessary details, Snape's eyes grew stern

'And why are you telling me this?' he asked

'Because my brother didn't get punished. In fact, he's been placed on the Gryffindor quidditch team as a seeker, and it's unfair.'

Snape nodded before sighing 'You will find during your time here that when it comes to Gryffindor, the Headmaster is rarely fair'

'I want to talk to him about it' he said suddenly, Snape looked shocked

'I can arrange a meeting if you wish, but I don't know what good it will do' he replied carefully.

Harrison nodded in response 'I'd like to try anyway, see what he has to say about it'

'I will arrange it then. If there is nothing else' he gestured towards the door and Harrison left quickly.

That evening at dinner, the Slytherin first-years were deep in a heated discussion about the usefulness of Herboloy for 11-year-olds.

'I'm just saying' Blaise said, pushing aside his plate 'that I don't feel the need to know how to pot a plant'

'That's not the point though' Draco added 'It may be a stupid subject but it can help you with potions'

'He's right you know' Harrison shot in before Blaise could say anything 'Knowledge of the ingredients used can help you adjust things and know what will happen if you mix two things together. For example, mixing two volatile ingredients won't end well unless you have something to counter the effects.'

They all shut up after that, seeming to accept his answer. Harrison felt a presence behind him, turning around he saw his head of house.

'Professor Snape' he nodded in greeting

'The Headmaster has agreed to a meeting, I will accompany you to his office tonight after dinner' and with that he turned around and went back to the top table.

'What was that about?' Blaise asked

Harrison shook his head 'I'll tell you later, hopefully something good will come out of it though'.

As soon as dinner was over, he followed Professor Snape out of the room and through the corridors, they walked in silence for a while before reaching a staircase guarded by a stone gargoyle.

'Liquorish' he said and the gargoyle stepped aside, allowing them access. Harrison looked at the professor questioningly.

'The Headmaster has a fondness for sweets' Harrison nodded, filing away that information for a later date.

They walked up the stairs and paused at the top, knocking on the door, upon hearing a cheery 'come in' they stepped inside.

'I'll leave you to talk' Snape muttered before making a quick exit.

'Come on in Harry, take a seat my boy' Harrison smiled politely, taking his seat

'I would prefer Harrison if you don't mind Headmaster' Dumbledore's eyes twinkled

'Of course, Harrison. Now what can I do for you?'

Harrison decided to get straight to the point.

'It's about Nick sir, and his new position on the Quidditch team'

'Ah yes, wonderful isn't it? I believe he is the youngest in nearly a century' he smiled

'Yes. Well that seems to be the problem sir. It's against the school rules, how is everyone else going to react when they find out?' he questioned politely, watching the Headmaster carefully for his response. He seemed surprised for a brief moment before masking his emotions.

'Well he is rather talented, isn't he? I would hope the rest of the school would be happy for him, and as for the rules my boy, well, they are made to be broken so they say.' he chuckled slightly and Harrison grinned in response. I'm not your boy, he thought.

'Yes Headmaster, but you wouldn't want to be accused of favoritism, now would you? For all you know, all of the first-years could be as talented as Nick. But they didn't break the rules to fly and so you won't find out.'

Dumbledore sighed, a sympathetic look filling his eyes.

'Now Harrison, I know it can be difficult having Nick for a brother, it's only natural to feel some jealousy and-'

'I'm not jealous of Nick!' Harrison laughed 'Is that what you think? I've proved in just the first week that I'm better at magic than he is. Who's to say I can't play Quidditch better as well?'

'Is that what you want?' he questioned 'to be on the Slytherin team?'

Harrison shook his head 'What I want is equality' Dumbledore looked confused so he continued.

'Either you tell Nick he can't play this year, that he has to wait until second-year to try out, or, you allow all first-years to try out. It's not unreasonable. If you think that it's safe enough for Nick then it's safe enough for all first-years. I'm not saying they have to be on the team, just the opportunity to do so.' he finished.

'Yes, but Gryffindor really are desperate for a seeker this year' he tried

'So, Gryffindor is more important than the other houses? I'm sure they're all in need of a seeker, or a chaser or something'

Dumbledore seemed to be at a loss for words. They spent a few moments merely staring at each other, Harrison broke his gaze when he felt a slight headache coming on, it disappeared the moment he looked away. Dumbledore sighed. Victory, Harrison thought.

'Okay, I will allow all first-years to try out this year as a trial period, to see if they can handle it.' Harrison smiled in his victory.

'Thank you, Headmaster. That's all I wished to speak about' Dumbledore nodded slightly

'I'll see you soon then Harrison, would you like a sherbet lemon for the walk?' he offered a silver bowl full of yellow boiled sweets. He declined politely and closed the door on his way out.

 **A/N: Thank youuu, hope you enjoyed it, please review etc. And on another note, what do we think? Do you want Harrison to play Quidditch or not? Let me know.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Well, this was a much later upload date than I'd hoped for, but here it is anyway! Enjoy!**

Chapter 7:

'Just a moment of your time before you head to breakfast please' Snape announced, entering the common room. They'd all gathered having been told a meeting was taking place.

'The Headmaster has decided to allow the first-year students to try out for Quidditch this year. See Mr. Flint for any further details. This is merely a trial period and I assure you if you mess around or your grades drop, you will be off the team immediately. Thank you.' And with that he left, and the common room filled with chatter.

'Is that what you spoke to Dumbledore about yesterday?' Theo asked, Harrison nodded in response

'Well, I couldn't let my brother think he's too special now could I' he mocked.

'Will you try out?' Daphne asked.

'Probably not, I don't really like Quidditch, it all seems a bit pointless to be honest' Draco frowned at him

'I don't understand you sometimes, but you'll have to help me practice for the trials anyway' Harrison reluctantly agreed to assist.

'Come on then' Blaise said suddenly 'let's get to breakfast'

'Hungry Blaise?' Harrison mocked

'No, I just want to see your brother's face now he knows he isn't the only first-year allowed to play Quidditch' he grinned and they all made their way to the Great Hall.

'HARRY!' Nick stormed over to the Slytherin table, a look of complete outrage on his face.

'Something wrong Nick?' he asked innocently, Blaise snickered in response.

'You did this! You took this away from me!' He spluttered

'You mean I made things fair? Now every first-year can try out, just like you wanted remember?'

Nick looked as though he would punch him but the Weasley boy interrupted.

'Maybe it's not so bad Nick? This way I can try out too and we can be on the team together'

Nick looked conflicted for a moment before sighing in resignation and turning towards the red head.

'You're right, this will be great.' he struggled to put a smile on his face causing the boy to smile brightly in return.

'That's right' Draco shot in 'a team full of blood traitors and the like, a perfect representation of Gryffindorks, but tell me Weasley, how will you afford a broom? I bet your family has to save up one twig at a time.' he snorted at the thought.

'Shut it Malfoy! At least we have actual talent, you won't even get on the team. And if you say one more thing about my family I'll-'

'You'll what?' Draco interrupted, a sneer on his face

'Right that's it, I challenge you to a duel Malfoy!' Nick exclaimed, they all looked at him in shock. Draco was the first to recover.

'Fine. Midnight, in the trophy room, Harrison is my second' Harrison wanted to punch him, but gave no outward reaction.

'Ron's mine. We'll be there.' And with that they turned and left.

'I hope you have no intention of following through with that duel, I assure you we wouldn't even leave the dungeons before getting caught by Snape' Harrison muttered as he continued his breakfast.

Draco shook his head slightly 'I'm not that stupid' Blaise snorted causing Draco to glare at him 'I'll leave a note for Filch to find, they'll have detention for weeks.'

'Anyway' Draco continued 'Forget about that for now. Free period today, we're Quidditch training' looking directly at Harrison, who sighed in response

'Is it too much to ask for me to just read for an hour?'

'Yes' Daphne said, completely serious 'You're doomed I'm afraid. You simply must have some fun' the others smirked as he sighed dramatically.

Harrison walked out onto the Quidditch pitch to see Draco and the others already there, school brooms at the ready, sighing, he went to join them. A waste of a perfectly good afternoon if you asked him but nevertheless, he agreed to help.

'Harrison!' Draco ran over to him and passed him a broom

'Come on, this lot are useless, I need some actual competition'

Harrison shook his head in amusement and mounted the broom, joining the others in the air.

They released a practice snitch and Draco followed it around for a while, Harrison correcting his movements every now and again before joining him in the pursuit. After about half an hour they landed, out of breath.

'Here' Daphne passed them bottles of pumpkin juice to cool off, they took them gratefully.

'That was brilliant' Draco said 'Please tell me you're trying out too!'

Harrison shook his head 'I like flying, but Quidditch is just a waste of time' Draco looked outraged

'But Slytherin need you' he exclaimed

'No, they don't, they have you to be Seeker, I'm more of a Chaser if anything, and the Slytherin team already have three great chasers'

'They won't next year though' Blaise pointed out 'Two of them graduate, and I don't know anyone else that can play as well as you'

Harrison sighed 'Fine. Maybe next year I'll try out'

'I said maybe' he reminded as Draco's face split into a grin

'Yeah, but by next year I'll make sure it's a yes. Merlin. If this is you on a school broom, what would you be like on a good one?' he muttered to himself.

'Come on, it's almost dinner time, and I need to shower first' Harrison said, dragging Draco from the pitch.

He woke up the next morning at a normal time for once. Glad the nightmares had finally come to an end, he quickly got ready for the day and made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

'They don't look happy' Draco nodded towards Nick and Weasley as they walked into the room.

He was right, Nick had a scowl on his face and his eyes narrowed as they connected with Harrison's.

'Here we go' he muttered as Nick marched towards them.

'Trying to get us killed, were you?' He hissed

'What are you talking about?' Harrison asked, completely confused

'That dog nearly bit our heads off, and you have the nerve to act as if you had no idea what happened!'

'And aside from that, Filch nearly caught us!' Weasley added, just as furious

'Well that's hardly our fault' Draco said 'We were there. _Someone_ must have tipped Filch off, we narrowly avoided him ourselves'

'Well it wasn't us!' Nick all but shouted

'So, it wasn't you and it wasn't either of us. Do you actually have a reason to be over here or do you just like annoying me?' Harrison said, growing irritated.

'Fine, but this isn't the end.' And with that Nick grabbed the others boys' arm and dragged him away.

'Is this going to become a regular occurrence?' Daphne asked as she sipped her tea.

'I hope not, all this conflict isn't good for digestion you know' Blaise stated

'You're such an old woman Blaise' Theo said, causing the others to laugh.

'Hurry up guys, we'll be late for Transfiguration!' Pansy said suddenly, noticing the time.

'What do you think they meant about almost dying last night?' Draco asked him as they walked through the corridors. Harrison frowned slightly

'I'm not sure, I mean sure, Filch is kind of scary when he shouts but there's no way anyone could believe he would actually kill a student. And they said dog. What dog?'

'Doesn't that gamekeeper have a dog?' Draco mused

'Yeah' he nodded 'but there's no way they'd be scared of that thing. Besides, why would he have been in the castle at that time?'

'Maybe they saw Mrs. Noris' shadow and got scared' Draco laughed. Harrison chuckled slightly

'Yeah, probably' but he wasn't convinced. His brother might be an idiot, but he wouldn't have been scared of the shadow of a cat. He'd have to keep a closer eye on him.

He took a seat near the back of the classroom, giving him a perfect view of his brother. He didn't seem as though he'd nearly died the night before. Perhaps he had just made the whole thing up to try and get them to admit they told Filch about the duel? No, Harrison could always tell when Nick was lying, he was terrible at it, he couldn't have faked the fear in his eyes. He saw a dog, and thought it was going to kill him. The question was, what was a dangerous dog doing roaming the corridors of Hogwarts in the middle of the night? Unless it wasn't. If they heard Filch coming, they would have run away.

'Third-floor corridor' he muttered.

'What?' Draco whispered, confused. Harrison shook his head slightly.

'Mr. Potter' McGonagall called out from the front of the class, causing both him and Nick to look up sharply. She was looking at Harrison.

'Have you even heard a single word I've been saying?' She asked sternly.

The entire class had turned to look at him, his brother was grinning in satisfaction.

'Yes Ma'am' he replied, hoping she wouldn't ask him a question.

'Well then, you could come up here and demonstrate the spell we're doing today' Well that's not good.

'Of course,' he said with an easy smile. Act confident, it'll all be fine.

He stood slowly and made his way to the front of the room, glancing briefly at the blackboard, there were notes for turning a button to a beetle and back again. He searched his thoughts for first-year transfiguration lessons. That was one of them. It should be about right, he thought as he reached the front desk. There was a button on the table. Jackpot.

McGonagall was looking at him sternly.

Well, here goes nothing. He pulled out his wand and muttered the spell, the button transformed instantly, he watched it scuttle along the table for a mere second before turning it back again. He looked up at the Professor who was staring down at him incredulously.

'Detention, Mr. Potter' he frowned slightly.

'This' she gestured to the blackboard 'Is from my second-year class yesterday.' Ah, well, it was a good guess.

'Go and sit back down Mr. Potter, and take 10 points for a perfect transfiguration' She smiled slightly, he grinned and sat back down.

'I don't know how you do it' Draco whispered 'here' he pushed his notes towards Harrison for him to copy.

'Thanks, I just got lost in thought for a moment'

'You said the third floor. What were you thinking about?'

'Nick and Weasley. I think they ended up there last night, Dumbledore said it was dangerous and they said they nearly died. It's the only thing that makes sense.' He explained.

'Exploring a forbidden corridor in the middle of the night. They'd get detention for a year at least if Professor Snape finds out about this!' he said gleefully. Harrison shook his head

'And how would we explain why we know? We'll just have to keep an eye on them for now, try and catch them out, it shouldn't be too difficult.'

'Maybe we should take a trip to the third floor, see what scared them so much?' Draco suggested

'Are you an idiot? Whatever it was nearly killed them, and they're Gryffindor's, they wouldn't admit to being scared so easily if it wasn't actually a danger to them. And besides, even if the dog or whatever it is, didn't kill us, Professor Snape would if we got caught.'

Draco paled slightly at the thought.

'Okay, maybe not then'

'Just keep your eyes and ears open, if you notice anything suspicious, tell me.' Draco nodded.

'So, you can do a second-year transfiguration, can you help me out with the one we're actually supposed to be doing?' Harrison nodded and by the end of the hour, they both had perfect Slytherin green ribbons transfigured from string.

'Mr. Potter, remain behind please' McGonagall called to him as they were filing out of the room.

'Good luck' Blaise muttered, looking worried. Harrison rolled his eyes in response and waited for the room to empty before turning to the Professor.

'Professor, before you say anything, I'd just like to apologize for my lack of attentiveness during today's lesson. It won't happen again.'

'Thank you, I do understand that it can be difficult to pay attention when you already know the material so well. You read more than most of the Ravenclaws do. Perhaps you should focus on assisting your classmates during lessons. It could help your own understanding of the theory as well. And if you ever have any questions about more advanced topics, I would be happy to help.'

Harrison smiled at her

'Thank you, Professor. I'll be sure to bear that in mind in the future. May I go now Ma'am? I promised Theo I'd help him with his Potions homework.'

'Of course. And take another 5 points for helping others.' She smiled warmly and he nodded his thanks before leaving.

'Checkmate' Draco announced proudly as Theo groaned

'That's three in a row, can we play something else now?'

'Fine, Gobstones or exploding snap?' He asked, knowing he'd still win either way. Theo looked deep in thought for a moment before deciding

'Exploding snap, I don't want to have to shower tonight, I can't be bothered' Draco shrugged and pulled out the cards, looking over at Harrison.

'Joining us?' He asked

Harrison looked up from his book and shook his head, he was half way through a defense book he found in the library, it was an older edition and had some spells that were no longer taught in schools.

'Nah, I want to finish this chapter tonight'

'Hey, don't you have detention with McGonagall Harrison?' Daphne asked

'Oh Merlin' he muttered looking at the time, he shut his book and rushed out of the common room without saying goodbye.

'I'll take that as a yes then' she laughed as he ran past them.

He arrived at the classroom just in time, he knocked, trying to control his breath.

'Come in. Ah Mr. Potter, take a seat please. You'll be writing lines for me tonight'

He sat at the desk and pulled out a quill and parchment.

'Okay, I want 100 lines of _I will pay attention during my classes'_

He sighed and began the work, she continued marking papers at her desk as he wrote.

'Done' he said, setting his quill down and rubbing his wrist.

McGonagall looked up at him 'leave them on my desk and you can go, straight to your common room now, it's past curfew' and with that she went back to her marking.

Well, he thought as he left the room, might as well make the most of being out with an excuse. He started walking and without realising it, ended up on the third floor.

Here goes nothing, he pulled out his wand and walked slowly through the corridor. It was like walking through a ghost town, none of the lamps were lit, it seemed colder here as well, and Harrison could feel his heart beating faster the further he walked. There were several open doors leading to unused classrooms, papers and textbooks were scattered over the floors. Perhaps I shouldn't be here, he thought to himself, if anyone catches me, I'm dead.

He was about to turn around when he saw a closed door at the end of the corridor, I wonder why that one is closed. He stepped slowly towards it, trying to control the panic growing in his chest and reached out and slowly turned the handle. It was locked.

'Alohomora' he whispered, pointing his wand at the lock. He heard a click and knew it worked.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open with a creak.

Harrison froze, so they weren't lying about the dog, but they didn't mention the fact that it had three heads. He backed into the door frame quickly, narrowly avoiding the snapping heads. His eyes met the floor and noticed the trap door. So, it's guarding something, he thought, distracted only for a second before looking back up at the dog. He was just in time, one of the heads was coming towards him at an alarming rate; he jumped back and stumbled, falling to the ground, he hadn't quite managed to avoid the bite. He let out a strangled cry as a sharp pain shot up his arm.

'Oh crap' he gasped before shuffling backwards out of the room, narrowly avoiding a second bite.

He scrambled to his feet and slammed the door shut with his good arm and ran out of the corridor as fast as he could.

He somehow managed to stumble back to the dungeons without being caught, and as soon as he stepped foot in the common room, he collapsed on the floor in agony, clutching his arm.

He spent a few minutes just lying on the cool stone by the door before deciding he needed to do something about his wound. Pushing himself to an upright position, he slowly pushed the blood-caked sleeve of his school shirt out of the way so that he could see the damage. He was bleeding steadily, ragged flesh opened into a deep wound, but thankfully not to the bone. Harrison didn't know any healing spells beyond fixing broken bones, but he decided to give it a go anyway, just in case he had a break somewhere amongst the damage.

'Episkey' he whispered, biting down quickly on his tongue as his wrist snapped back into place.

Okay, apparently it was broken. Well, that was problem one, he thought.

He pulled himself to his feet and made his way as quietly as possible to the bathroom to run himself a shower. He felt better as the hot water ran over his body and he allowed the water to drain the dried blood from his arm. He stepped out and dried off before looking back at his wound. Still bleeding.

Thinking quickly, he tore up the remains of his school shirt and fashioned the pieces into a bandage, which he wrapped tightly around his arm. It all seemed much more manageable now he couldn't see the blood.

He took a few deep breathes before promptly throwing up, he felt quite light headed. Probably the blood loss, he thought. Sure he would feel better in the morning, he went to bed, falling asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

 **A/N: Thank you! Please review, follow, favourite, etc...**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I hope it's worth it... Enjoy!**

Chapter 8:

Harrison woke with a groan and sat up slowly.

'Are you okay Harrison?' Draco asked, looking concerned from his position in front of the mirror

'Fine, just a headache'

Draco frowned slightly 'Maybe you should go and see Madam Pomfrey? You don't look very well'

'No, I'll be okay in a minute'

'Okay, well hurry up then, you're going to be late' he said, looking at the time

'I won't be long, I'll meet you in the Great Hall' Harrison said, pushing himself off the bed. Draco nodded and left the room.

Harrison sighed, now that he was alone, he could see what the damage was. He could feel his arm throbbing beneath the makeshift bandage. Taking a deep breath, he removed the bandage to reveal his arm – it looked no better than it had the night before, the only difference was that it was no longer bleeding and you could now clearly see the teeth marks in the flesh.

Well that's no good, he thought before tearing up his pillow case to make a fresh bandage and getting dressed for the day. He didn't have time for breakfast, he didn't feel like eating anyway, and so he made his way to Potions, hoping he would be able to keep from Snape finding out.

'You missed breakfast Harrison' Draco said as he caught up with him in the corridor, Harrison rolled his eyes slightly at the concern.

'I'm aware of that Draco, it's fine.'

'Your detention ran a long-time last night' he said, dropping the subject 'what did she have you do?'

'Lines' he muttered 'there's something I need to tell you later' Draco frowned

'What is it?'

'Later' he hissed, gesturing to the people around them. He wasn't in the best of moods, and the pain he was in didn't help.

'Silence' Professor Snape called from the front of the classroom, the room instantly fell quiet.

'Turn to chapter five, the instructions are also on the board. You have two hours' and with that he sat down to mark some papers.

'Do you want to get the ingredients if I set up?' Draco asked hesitantly, clearly not wanting to annoy him further. Harrison nodded slightly and stood up quickly, instantly regretting it as he went light headed. He gripped onto the table to stop himself falling.

'Are you sure you're okay?'

'I'm fine' quickly recovering he moved to the back of the room.

'Ah' he yelled, dropping the beetle eyes on the floor as he was shoved from behind and his arm bumped against the table next to him.

'Better watch where you're going Potter' Weasley said, smirking

Harrison snapped.

He leapt at Weasley and punched him on the nose before he could even think about what he was doing. The pain from the movement took his breath away, allowing Weasley to shove him to the floor and raise his own fist-

'MR WEASLEY' Snape shouted from the front of the room, causing him to freeze in place.

Snape was still talking, but Harrison couldn't hear anything. All he could focus on was the pain he felt.

'Are you okay?' Granger said quietly, bending down next to him and causing the voices around the room to stop.

Professor Snape looked down at him, and upon seeing the blood puddling on the floor next to him, gently pulled him to his feet and guided him to the office, turning only to bark one last order to the class.

'Class dismissed, Weasley you have detention tonight at 7.'

And with that they entered the office and Harrison was led over to a small sofa.

The Professor walked over to a small cabinet in the corner of the room and pulled out a small vial before walking back over to Harrison.

'Drink this' he said, pressing the bottle to his lips. Harrison obliged, gagging at the taste. Ugh, why did potions have to taste so bad.

The pain immediately started to ease off, his previously foggy vision clearing up. He glanced up to his Professor, who stood with an unamused look on his face.

'Show me your arm' he stated simply. Harrison shook his head.

'It's nothing sir, just a small cut' Professor Snape raised an eyebrow

'Then you won't mind if I take a look' before Harrison could respond, Snape gripped his wrist gently but firmly, pulling his arm straight before removing the sleeve of his shirt and the make shift bandage with a flick of his wand.

After a moment of silence, Snape started muttering what Harrison assumed to be healing charms, waving his wand, the wound began to knit back together. Harrison watched in fascination. Once he had finished, Snape released his arm and walked back over to the cabinet, returning with yet another potion.

'Blood replenisher' he explained to Harrison's look of confusion.

'Explain' he snapped, crossing his arms and looking every bit the bat of the dungeons, he was known to be.

'Um, I fell?'

'You. Fell.' he raised his eyebrows 'Is that really the best you can come up with?'

Harrison sighed, he didn't do well on a lack of sleep. He opened his mouth, about to say he fell onto his potions knife or something equally ridiculous, but Snape cut him off.

'Before you try and fail to convince me with another lie. Let me tell you that I know exactly where you would have received a wound like this one. So how about we move onto question number two. What were you doing in the third-floor corridor?'

'I wasn't' he said without thinking

'Really? So where else in the castle is a three-headed dog being kept? Would you rather I call the Headmaster down here and you can tell him of your little adventure instead?'

He was in deep trouble.

'No sir' he stammered.

Snape sighed, clearly irritated.

'My patience is wearing thin, Harrison.'

He gulped before speaking. He couldn't possibly get in more trouble, could he?

'I was coming back from a detention, and I just sort of started walking, and before I knew it, I was on the third-floor. I honestly didn't mean to end up there' he pleaded at his professor's skeptical look

'I was thinking about the Headmaster's warning earlier in the day, so it must have been in the back of my mind or something.'

'So why didn't you, upon your realisation of where you had ended up, turn around?' he demanded.

'I don't know, Sir. I just thought that it would be okay'

'You thought that it would be okay' he repeated in disbelief.

'What part of the Headmaster's warning did you not understand? He specifically told you not to go there. Do you have a death wish? Or are you simply following your arrogant Father's footsteps and you thought you could handle whatever danger you would face?'

His Father wasn't that arrogant, but Harrison didn't think that would be the right time to mention it. Snape took a deep breath before continuing in a slightly calmer voice.

'You knew you would get in trouble though, yes? That is why you didn't seek help for your injury. So, do you not have an ounce of self-preservation?' he shouted 'Perhaps you were sorted in the wrong house after all. You are exactly like your brother.'

That did it, Harrison stood up, the effect lost slightly seeing as he only reached the Professors chest.

'I am nothing like him!' he shouted 'I'm telling you the truth and you still don't believe me. Perhaps my Father is right about you after all, Snivellus' he sneered, instantly regretting his outburst.

'Calm yourself' Snape said through gritted teeth. Harrison wasn't sure which one of them he was talking to, but attempted to take a few deep breathes anyway, he could see the man doing the same thing.

After a few moments of silence, Snape sighed before going and sitting behind his desk. He sat there, staring at Harrison, he felt uncomfortable under the gaze, and wasn't sure if he was supposed to say something.

Snape beat him to it however.

'You have detention.' he said simply, Harrison nodded, expecting as much.

'For a month' he added, Harrison's eyebrows shot up, outrage clear on his face.

'Before you even think about protesting, I can make it two months?'

'One month then Sir' he muttered, not wishing to push the man any further. Snape was still staring at him.

'You will also write me an essay, I want two feet on the usefulness of self-preservation, and what you could and should have done differently.'

Harrison nodded slightly and waited in silence, hoping he wouldn't add anything else.

'You may go' he dismissed 'be here at 7 sharp, if you are late, you will regret it. If you need any more pain relief do not hesitate to come and ask.' And with that, Harrison turned and quickly fled the room, wanting to put as much distance between himself and his Professor as possible.

He went straight to the common room, where he found Draco and the others waiting for him.

'What happened?' Draco asked, seeing him walk in

'Are you okay?' Daphne asked, full of concern

Harrison sighed and sat down next to Blaise and told them everything, once he'd finished, he looked up at them, they appeared to be in shock. Daphne recovered first.

'You complete prat' she yelled, smacking him on the shoulder with her book. He winced slightly, causing her to look a little guilty.

'You could have died.' She said firmly, he nodded

'Yeah, I know it was stupid, I just didn't think.' Blaise smirked

'And all along we thought you were a Ravenclaw in disguise' he teased, making Draco snort.

'Look, next time, at least take one of us with you' Draco suggested, Harrison shook his head

'There won't be a next time, Draco. It was stupid, I should have never listened to my brother. But listen, the dog is guarding something, I don't know what, but I can assure you that Nick will try and find out.'

'Then he's even more of an idiot than you are' Daphne said, dismissively.

'I could have told you that before' Harrison muttered, still thinking of his brother as the others began a game of gobstones.

* * *

Later that evening, he entered the potions classroom to serve his detention. He really needed to stop getting himself into these situations, he thought to himself, walking in. He looked over to see Professor Snape stood at the desk, brewing a potion, and Weasley was already in a corner, scrubbing cauldrons. Snape looked up as he entered.

'You can join Mr. Weasley' was all he said, gesturing towards the boy. Harrison sighed softly before heading over to begin scrubbing.

'What are you doing here?' Weasley asked, clearly confused

'I have detention, same as you, unless that is, you enjoy scrubbing cauldrons in your spare time?' he said sarcastically, Weasley's frown deepened.

'But Snape doesn't punish Slytherin's' he said, certain of the fact. Harrison snorted.

'Clearly, he does, or I wouldn't be here, would I?'

'But-'

'I don't hear scrubbing' Snape's voice echoed across the room.

They set back to work in silence for the next two hours before all the cauldrons were clean, they stood awkwardly in front of Snape's desk for a few moments before he glanced up at them, and then over to the stack of cauldrons.

'Mr. Weasley, you may leave. If you dare start a fight in my lessons again, I assure you the punishment will be much worse than this.'

'Yes Sir' he nodded before hurrying out of the room.

'I will see you tomorrow night at the same time, Harrison' he dismissed, Harrison nodded before making his own way out of the room.

* * *

The first couple of months had gone by in a bit of a blur, Harrison thought he'd settled into the rhythm of Hogwarts quite well: He'd made several good friends in Slytherin and was doing very well in his classes. He made his way into the Great Hall for the feast. The room had been decorated for the feast and looked very good in Harrison's opinion. The ceiling had jack-o-lanterns floating around, and the walls were covered in cobwebs, skeletons, and bats suspended in flight. It looked amazing.

He walked over to join his house at the table.

'Looks pretty good, eh Harrison?' Blaise asked, Harrison nodded in response

'Not too bad' he sat down amongst them, allowing their conversation of the usual Samhain celebrations to wash over him.

'Happy Halloween everyone!' Dumbledore called from the front of the Hall

'Why must we celebrate muggle festivals again?' Draco asked

'I believe it's to let the muggleborns feel more at home, plus most of the rituals have been classed as dark magic now' Blaise whispered back.

Harrison had always celebrated Halloween at home, along with Christmas instead of Yule. He had asked his father once about the traditional festivals but he was shut down and told they were too old fashioned and relied on a lot of dark magic. He didn't believe that himself. Just because a ritual used blood it doesn't make it dark.

He was brought out of his musings when the food arrived. It seemed to mostly consist of sweets but it still looked good, so they all dug in hungrily.

Harrison was just adding a third helping of mashed potato to his plate when Professor Quirrell came racing into the hall, terror on his face. Everyone stared as he made his way to the top table, slumping against it.

'Troll. In the dungeons. Thought you ought to know.' he gasped before promptly sinking to the floor.

There was a second's silence before uproar. It took several sparks and explosions from the end of Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.

'Prefects.' He began 'lead your houses back to the dormitories immediately!'

Students began filing out of the room quickly.

'He does know the Slytherin dorms are in the dungeons, right?' Harrison heard a third-year mutter.

'Right everyone. Stick together and keep your wands out' The prefect shouted over the confusion.

As they left the hall, Harrison noticed his brother and the red head separating from the other Gryffindor's, hanging back in the shadows. Merlin, Nick was going to get him killed one day, he thought as he allowed himself to be swept along with the Hufflepuff's and out onto the corridor he'd seen them hide in.

He followed a little way behind them, keeping his wand out just in case.

They eventually reached a girl's bathroom. He saw them run back around the corner in a panic, practically bumping into him.

'What are you doing here?' Nick all but shouted, Harrison raised an eyebrow in response.

'I could ask you the same thing' He noticed Weasley looking rather guilty

'Hermione is in the bathroom, she doesn't know about the troll' Nick explained

'And why are you going to find her? You could have told a prefect or a teacher or something'

'Well' Nick started, also looking guilty 'I didn't really think about that, but it's kind of our fault she's in there anyway. But it's okay, we locked the troll in a classroom or something' gesturing back around the corner.

He was about to ask what they'd done when a petrified, high pitched scream came from that very corner.

Nick and Weasley looked at each other in horror.

'I'm guessing that wasn't a classroom then' Harrison said, deadpanned.

'Hermione' they both shrieked before turning and running back to the room.

'What are you doing now?' he yelled at them before swearing under his breath and chasing after the pair.

He followed them into the room. Granger was pressed against the opposite wall, her eyes screwed shut. The troll was advancing on her, knocking sinks off the wall as it went.

'Do something' Nick yelled, throwing bits of metal at the troll, Weasley quickly following his lead.

Harrison sighed in exasperation, that won't work, he thought to himself, a troll won't even feel it through its thick skin.

The troll did however, hear Nick's shout, and turned towards him instead, his club raised.

'Oy, pea-brain' Weasley yelled from the other side of the room, sending a large chunk of wood at the things head. It then turned towards him, allowing Nick to run around it towards Granger.

'Come-on, run' he urged her, but she wasn't moving, she was frozen against the wall, mouth wide open.

'She's in shock' Harrison called out 'Hit her or something' Nick looked at him in outrage before noticing the troll starting towards Weasley.

'Don't be an idiot Nick' Harrison yelled, seeing his brother stand up. He was ignored of course and Nick took a running jump, grabbing onto the troll's neck, his wand ending up stuck up its nose.

Screaming in pain, the troll swung around wildly. Nick was hanging on for dear life, Granger had sunk to the floor and Weasley was frozen, panic written all over his face.

Merlin, how they would survive without him, Harrison would never know. He pulled out his wand and muttered the first spell that came to mind. A blood-boiling curse. Possibly not the smartest decision but the spell was only borderline dark, and so he wouldn't get in too much trouble for using it.

The troll let out a blood-curdling scream and fell to its knees with a crunch. Nick took the opportunity to scramble off the things back and pressed himself flat against the wall near Hermione as the troll writhed in agony in the centre of the room. A few moments later, the troll was still, and there was silence. It was dead.

Nick went and pulled his wand out, a long string of snot followed, which Nick merely wiped on his robes with a disgusted look.

'Is it dead?' Granger asked in a small voice, standing up.

Harrison nodded slightly and they all stared at him.

'You killed a troll' Weasley muttered

'Yes. You're welcome.' he said stiffly.

A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the four of them look up. Professor McGonagall came bursting into the room, followed by Snape and Quirrell, who upon seeing the troll, let out a whimper before slumping on a toilet seat. Harrison rolled his eyes.

Snape bent over the troll, and McGonagall was staring intently at them, he'd never seen her look so angry before.

'What on Earth were you thinking?' she yelled in fury

'You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitories?'

'Harrison glanced at Nick, who was looking rather helplessly at Weasley'

'Well-' Nick began

'Please Professor, it was my fault' Granger whispered from the corner. All eyes shot to her.

'Miss Granger?' she questioned, shock clear in her voice.

'I'd read about trolls, and I thought I could handle it, so I followed it here. If the boys hadn't found me, then I'm sure I'd be dead' she finished quietly.

'Is this true?' She looked sharply at Nick, Weasley, and Harrison, they all nodded awkwardly, not sure why Granger was lying for them.

'Well then. I will be removing 10 points from Gryffindor for your sheer stupidity.' Granger hung her head 'And as for you three' she paused '5 points, will be awarded to each of you. For dumb luck.' Nick and Weasley shared a grin.

'Now all of you, back to your common rooms. The feast is continuing there.' She said dismissively.

Harrison could feel eyes on him and looked up to see Snape sending him a piercing glare. He gulped.

'Accompany to my office Harrison.' He said before turning around and walking out the room, clearly expecting him to follow.

Nick and Weasley were watching him closely as he left to catch up with his professor.

 **A/N: Thank you once again for reading, please review etc... it really does mean a lot when you do.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Wow, it's been a while hasn't it? Just a short one for you today but this will hopefully get things flowing again. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 9:

Harrison sighed in relief as they boarded the train. It had been almost two months since the troll incident, and with that plus the three-headed dog, Harrison had spent the majority of his first term at Hogwarts scrubbing cauldrons.

'Happy to be going home?' Draco asked, closing the door to the compartment they'd chosen.

'Yes and no, I'd rather not be spending the next few weeks with my brother'

'Well, you're all invited to our Yule party, so you'll at least get a break from him for one evening.'

He didn't think his parents would be too happy with him going to the Malfoy's party, and he wasn't really sure if they would even let him go. Nick, at least, would kick up a fuss, spouting off nonsense about dark wizards.

'Yeah, I'm looking forward to it' he grinned in response and joined Blaise for a game of chess to kill some time.

'See you soon, Harrison!' Draco smiled as they stepped off the train, he nodded before scanning the crowd.

Quickly locating his parents, he went to join them.

'Harry! How are you? Oh, I've missed you!' his mother called, pulling him into a tight hug.

'I'm okay Mum. I've missed you both too' he smiled as she released him from the embrace.

'Hi Mum!' Nick yelled, running over to the small group

'Nicky! How are you dear?' She pulled him into a hug as well

'I'm good thanks, hey can Ron come over this week?'

'We'll talk about that later. Let's get home first.'

They apparated home, Nick with their mother, and Harrison with their father. The group landed just outside their house, and Nick immediately ran inside, the others following at a slower pace.

'So, what do you think of Hogwarts so far then?' His father asked as they sat down for dinner, Harrison went to speak but Nick beat him to it.

'It's brilliant! I've made loads of friends and Gryffindor is great, I'm the best on the Quidditch team and we're definitely going to win the cup this year!' he bragged, puffing his chest out.

Their father shook his head, amusement clear in his eyes.

'And what about you, Harry, enjoying it so far?'

'Yes, it's been really good. The classes seem a little easy at the moment, but we're just going over the basics for now so that's to be expected.'

'Yes, well remember that they have to teach to everyone's level, the muggleborn's for example won't have as much experience as you.' his mother added

'How's the snake pit treating you?' Lily wacked James over the head

'I'm only joking Lil' rubbing his head as Nick laughed at him 'Seriously though, you're okay there?'

'Yes Dad, I've made a lot of friends, everyone is great.' He smiled

'Well that's good then'

'Speaking of which' he added cautiously, gaining their attention once again 'Draco has invited me to his family party over Yule, would I be able to go?'

'Draco as in Malfoy?' James asked, a frown on his face

'Yes' Harrison replied.

James and Lily looked at each other, seemingly having a silent conversation before turning back to him.

'We'll talk about it and make a decision closer to the time okay? I don't know how comfortable I am with you being alone around Draco's father.'

'I wouldn't be alone, it's a party, I'll be with my friends, besides, I think even the minister is going to be there.' Harrison said, getting annoyed.

'I said we'll talk about it closer to the time.' James replied, firmly. Harrison rolled his eyes.

'I saw that'

'Come on, let's talk about something else, Nick, you mentioned Quidditch, how's that going dear?' Lily said quickly, changing the subject.

Harrison remained silent for the rest of the conversation, allowing Nick to continue his bragging.

'So can Ron and Hermione come and visit?' That caught Harrison's attention again, he looked up.

'Of course, dear, we'll wait a couple of days though, let them have some time with their family's first.' Nick grinned at that, sending Harrison a smug look.

'Can I have friends over too then?' he asked, curious as to what the response would be, James sighed.

'Who would you like to invite?'

'Draco' he said immediately 'And Blaise, possibly Theo or Daphne or Pansy' he said, reeling off names as he thought about it more.

'Malfoy, Zabini, Nott, Greengrass and Parkinson' Nick sneered, causing their parents eyes to widen slightly at the amount of known death eater names.

'Got a problem with that?' Harrison shot at Nick

'Yes actually. I don't think Mum and Dad want a bunch of baby death eaters in their home'

Seeing an argument brewing, Lily quickly interrupted.

'Nick, that's enough. Harry, how about just two of those, seeing as Nick would only be inviting two people' she suggested

'Draco and Blaise?' he asked. James looked conflicted.

'Okay dear, you'll have to write to them though to make sure their parents are alright with them coming here' Lily replied before James could say anything. Nick gaped at her.

'You're okay with them being here? Around us? Around me!?' he all but shouted in protest.

'You're having friends visit, so it's only fair Nicky.' She replied calmly.

'Yes. But my friends aren't death eaters' he muttered.

'Neither are mine! We're 11 for Merlin's sake. And besides, Malfoy was found innocent during the last war and the Zabini family have always remained neutral.' Harrison shot back.

'Okay, that's enough arguing, or neither of you will have friends over.' James announced firmly, bringing an end to the conversation.

Harrison went up to his room to unpack after dinner, doing so quickly, he then sat at his desk to write a letter to Draco and Blaise.

 _Draco,_

 _I'm not sure if my parents will allow me to attend the Yule party, they seem very cautious about me being around your Father – perhaps he could persuade them somehow? They have said you and Blaise can come and visit at some point. It would be great if you could, Nick is having Granger and Weasley round soon, I'll be outnumbered!_

 _Harrison_

 _Blaise,_

 _You and Draco are invited to visit at some point during the holidays. I'm not sure if I'll make it to Draco's party, but I'm working on it. Let me know if you can come._

 _Harrison_

Finishing the letters, he rolled them and sent them off with Hedwig.

* * *

'So, boys, what do you want for Christmas this year?' James asked, sitting at the breakfast table.

'A nimbus 2000. You said I could get one, and I'm on the team and everything now!' Nick exclaimed. James grinned at him.

'Anything else?' Nick thought for a moment before replying

'A solid gold set of gobstones, dumgbombs, chocolate frogs, and a new kit from Zonko's'

Lily shook her head in amusement.

'And what about you, Harry? Anything solid gold for you?' James teased

'I don't know. A few books I suppose? Maybe a new chess set' he asked before adding 'but not solid gold' James laughed, messing Nick's hair up as he began to protest.

Several owls flew into the room at that moment, interrupting the conversation. Hedwig dropped two letters in front of Harrison, along with one from a strange owl – probably Hogwarts, he thought, feeding them both bits of bacon before moving onto the post.

'Results?' Lily asked, noticing Nick had also received a letter from Hogwarts, he looked nervous.

Harrison opened his note to see his end of term grades.

 _Transfiguration - O_

 _Charms - O_

 _Potions - O_

 _History of Magic - O_

 _Defense Against the Dark Arts - O_

 _Astronomy - O_

 _Herbology – E_

He grinned, passing the letter to his mother, a pretty good start to the year. His mother smiled proudly at him after reading the grades.

'Congratulations Harry! These are incredible, not that I'm surprised, with all the reading you do' she added, letting James see before pinning it on the fridge.

'Thanks Mum. I expect the lessons will get harder at some point though.'

They turned to Nick, who had gone slightly red upon opening his letter.

'Let's see how you did then Nick' Lily asked, holding out her hand.

Harrison looked over her shoulder as she read.

 _Transfiguration - A_

 _Charms - P_

 _Potions - T_

 _History of Magic - D_

 _Defense Against the Dark Arts - A_

 _Astronomy - P_

 _Herbology – D_

Harrison let out a low whistle.

'How did you only pass two subjects? It's the first term, it's not difficult.' he taunted, causing Nick to turn a deeper shade of red.

'Harry' James warned lightly.

'Nick, it's not that bad, I'll arrange a meeting with the Headmaster to see how you can improve, it's only the first term, you have plenty of time to catch up.' Lily said gently.

'In the meantime, I want you both to get started on your homework.' Nick groaned

'But we've still got ages before we go back!' he complained

'And you've got a lot to catch up on by the looks of it, better to get it over and done with.'

Harrison took the time to open his other letters. The first one was from Draco.

 _Harrison,_

 _I have spoken to my Father and he wishes to meet with your parents to discuss the party and my coming to stay. If they are agreeable, they are welcome to visit Malfoy Manor at 2pm today._

 _Hope to see you soon,_

 _Draco_

Harrison passed the letter over to his Father.

'It's from Draco' he explained, allowing him time to read it.

'Okay Harry, your Mother and I will go over and discuss things with Lord Malfoy and see what he has to say.' Harrison smiled at him

'Thank you'

The other note was from Blaise, saying he would be allowed over any time, he wasn't going away this year.

'Right, Sirius and Remus are coming over to take you two to Diagon Alley for the day. Your mother and I have some errands to run, make sure to take the time to buy any Christmas presents you want to get because you might not get another chance.'

'They'll be here in about an hour, so you have a little while to get started on some homework' Lily reminded them, causing Nick to sigh before leaving the room.

* * *

'Okay boys, where do you want to start?' Remus asked as they walked into the alley

'Quidditch store!'  
'Bookstore!' they said simultaneously

'Okay, well, we don't want to split up today, so how about we go to the Quidditch store first as it's closer, and then the bookstore?' Sirius suggested with a grin, they agreed.

'To the brooms then' Sirius said dramatically before running off, dragging Nick along with him, Remus sighed.

'He's such a child'

'I'm going to get this for Ron' Nick said, piling equipment and Quidditch t-shirts on the desk

'All of this is for your friend?' Remus asked, picking up a practice snitch

'Well... some of it might be for me as well' Remus sighed

'Put some of it back, we're shopping for presents for your friends, not for you. I'm sure Ron doesn't need all of this.'

'Fine' he sighed, putting back everything except a Cannons t-shirt and a top of the range broom servicing kit.

'Are you getting anything Harry?' he nodded

'Can you wait by the door?' he asked, not wanting them to see what he was buying.

Once they were out of sight, he placed the items on the counter; he'd bought a new snitch for Nick – more of a gesture present than anything, as his parents would complain if he didn't, and he'd also picked up a book of tricks for his Father and a book of coaching tactics for Flint – it couldn't hurt to become friendly with some of the older students.

He made his way over to the door to meet up with the others, they were stood talking to a family, Harrison caught the end of their conversation as he got closer

'Yes, our little Sally will be joining Hogwarts next year, she's very excited to be there at the same time as Nick, are you enjoying it so far?' what appeared to be the father asked Nick

'Yes, I'm doing really well, of course, it's very easy for me, but I'm sure you won't have any trouble either. I'm even on the Quidditch team already! I insisted that they allow other first-years to try out this year as well, to make it fair of course.' He grinned easily; Harrison shook his head in disbelief as he joined the group.

'This is Harrison, Nick's twin' Remus introduced

'Oh yes, I heard you had a twin, quite a shock for some people, I myself had never heard of him a few months ago' acting as if Harrison wasn't there at all,

Sirius seemed to sense Harrison's uneasiness,

'Yes, well, we better get going, we've got a lot to do today. Say goodbye Nick.'

Harrison had already walked away, quickly finding himself in the book shop, the enveloping scent of parchment and ink calming him instantly. He began to search through the shelves, getting lost in the books and looking for presents for his friends, when Remus came up behind him.

'I thought we'd agreed to stick together today' Harrison didn't take his eyes off the books, merely shrugging in response.

'Look at me' he felt a hand turn him around, and looked up to see the concerned eyes of his uncle

'I know you hate that Harry, but you know it can't be helped, it's better to indulge these people for a few minutes rather than ignoring everyone we come across. And you know it's not safe to go off alone.'

'I don't care, Nick's a liar but everyone loves him anyway, you heard them, they didn't even know who I was, that I even existed until Hogwarts, and even now, all I am is Nick's twin. I hate it.'

Remus looked at him, sympathy clear in his eyes, which only made Harrison angrier. He didn't want pity.

'It's fine' he said after a moment of silence, not convincing anyone, Remus dropped the matter anyway, choosing instead to look at the books Harrison had already chosen.

'Quite the array of subjects here, are these for your friends?' Harrison nodded

'Mostly, and a few other people around the school, I haven't really decided yet, but they all look interesting.' Remus smiled

'And how is school going for you?' he asked absently

'It's very good, all of the people in Slytherin are great and the lessons are interesting, if a little easy at the moment' Remus nodded

'I'm glad to hear that cub. Are you finished book shopping then? I'm sure Nick will be itching to get out of here, and Sirius won't be far off.' Harrison grinned

'Perhaps we should stay a bit longer then, see how long it takes for them to actually explode' he joked as they walked towards the till.

'Finally, I thought I was going to die of boredom!' Nick yelled dramatically as they left the shop.

The rest of the trip went without incident despite Remus's over protective behaviour - he hadn't even let them walk to a different side of the shop alone. Aside from that, Harrison found it to be a very productive shop, he had bought presents for everyone, even sneaking a few items for himself into the pile.

 **A/N: There we have it, if people are enjoying this - please review, it keeps me going and you'll get the chapters a lot faster. Also, for future reference, how do you guys want this story to progress, I have a few ideas but I'd love to hear what you actually want to read. Thank you!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: And here we go, a quicker update than usual. I hope you enjoy and as usual please review, favourite etc etc...**

* * *

Chapter 10:

Harrison sighed in exasperation as he made his way towards the noisy chatter of the kitchen. Weasley and Granger had been there for two days now, and Harrison was ready to strangle one of them. Nick and Ron were seemingly having a competition to see who could eat the most pancakes, both had a huge stack in front of them and were trying to shove as much in their faces as humanly possible.

'Boys, slow down or I'm taking them away' his mum said sternly

Harrison rolled his eyes in disgust and took a seat at the opposite end of the table.

'Morning Harry' his mum smiled to him, passing him a plate

'I'd grab some pancakes quickly if I were you, before they all disappear.' He took two, thanking her before he began to eat.

'What time are your friends coming Harry?' his father asked, looking up from the Daily Prophet

'Blaise is coming over at 12, Draco can't make it though, he has to help with the preparations for their party.' he heard a snort from the other end of the table

'Something to say, Weasley?'

'Just glad Malfoy isn't coming, Zabini is bad enough without adding another slimy snake' Lily frowned at that and cut in before Harrison could say anything back.

'Now Ron, that isn't a very nice thing to say is it? I'm sure your Mother wouldn't like to hear of you talking like that.' His ears went red immediately

'Sorry' he muttered, not sounding it at all. Clearly deciding to change the subject, Granger spoke up for the first time since he'd entered the room.

'Did you get into much trouble after Halloween Harry? I haven't really seen you much since' he seethed at the shortened version of his name

'What happened at Halloween?' James asked, looking specifically at Harrison, who grew uncomfortable under the stern gaze.

'Oh, I'm sorry!' Hermione said, looking shocked 'I thought you would know, my parents were sent a letter about it you see.' Lily and James turned their gaze to the young girl, who now looked very nervous.

'What happened Hermione?' Lily pressed gently

'Well, it was my fault really' she began, shooting a quick glance towards Harry and Ron before continuing 'did you hear about the troll?' she asked

'Yes, one escaped into the school, did you get caught by it?' Lily asked, getting worried. Hermione shook her head slightly

'Sort of' she took a deep breath 'I went looking for it, I thought I could handle it but I clearly couldn't. Nick, Ron and Harry came to find me, and they helped me escape.' She said all in one breath.

Silence filled the room.

'You went to find a troll?' James asked incredulously 'Why?'

'Um, well, I'd read about them, and I thought I could handle it myself.' The adults were still staring at her in disbelief whilst the boys looked on nervously, pancakes long forgotten.

'And you three, you went to find her?' he asked, turning his attention to Nick, who quickly answered

'We noticed she wasn't in the Great Hall and we got worried' Ron nodding along

'And you Harry?' Lily asked

'I saw them leave, I wanted to make sure they weren't about to do something stupid and get themselves killed.'

'I don't even know what to say.' James said, clearly still stunned

'You asked if he got into trouble Hermione? Why? What else happened?' Lily pressed.

Hermione then recounted the entire story, with a few minor adjustments to avoid them getting into any more trouble – and leaving out the spell Harrison had used.

'Well, I wish Albus had contacted us about this. I wonder why he sent a letter to your parents Hermione and not to us or the Weasley's. So, you three had points removed, and then added, did you have detention or anything as well?' Lily asked, the three of them shook their heads, no.

'I got a few, Professor Snape wasn't very happy.' The boys looked shocked at that, clearly still under the belief that Snape didn't punish Slytherin's.

'And just how did you escape the troll again?'

'Um, Harry knocked it out with its own club.' Hermione stuttered, Harrison frowned slightly, wondering why she would lie for him, but James and Lily seemed to accept the answer and moved on after a few words of warning and promises made by all of them to be more careful in the future.

He was walking back to his room a few hours later to wait for Blaise to arrive when he bumped into Granger, who was leaving the library at a rapid pace, knocking into him.

'Don't any of you look where you're going when you turn corners?' he huffed

'Sorry Harry'

'Stop calling me that' he snapped, she looked shocked

'But your family-'

'I don't care. You don't get to call me that. It's Potter' he paused 'or Harrison' he continued before instantly regretting it as her face broke out in a smile, showing off her over-sized teeth.

'Okay, Harrison it is then.' she went to leave but he called her back.

'Why did you lie? To my parents I mean? Why not tell them what I did?'

'Well, I thought I'd probably done enough to be honest, I let it slip about the troll in the first place, and after you saved me. I can't even find the spell you did in any books I've read, what is it? I could tell it wasn't a nice spell.'

'It doesn't matter' he muttered 'it was risky using it, and I shouldn't have done it.' And with that he walked off, leaving her stood alone in the corridor.

'Go away' he said, hearing his bedroom door knock

'It's me' he heard Blaise's voice call as the door opened.

'Finally, I thought you'd never make it, I've been going crazy with the terrible trio running around.'

'That's what I'm here for' Blaise grinned 'the Zabini rescue service, here for one day and one day only.'

Harrison smirked and pulled out his chess set, beckoning the boy over.

'Shut up and I might let you win again'

'Pfft, as if you have to let me' he paused 'wait, you didn't let me win last time, did you? I thought I'd finally bested the great Harrison Potter, don't go easy on me, I want to beat you fairly!' he spluttered in outrage.

Two hours and one very intense chess game later, a smirking Harrison and pouting Blaise walked to the kitchen for a snack.

'I can't believe you let me think I beat you last time!'

'Well, you were annoying me, and I knew you'd leave me alone if you won' he stated simply.

'Oh, look out, slimy snake alert, and it has a friend.' Nick's voice sneered from behind them

'shut up Nick, at least I have friends'

'What do you call me then?' Ron said

'Stupid?' Harrison muttered under his breath; Ron's ears turned pink and he balled up his fists in anger

'At least I don't hang out with Death Eaters! At least I'm not a traitor!' he yelled

'A traitor?' Harrison spluttered

'I'm not a Death Eater by the way' Blaise added, helpfully 'my family have always remained neutral'

'Yes, I know that. But how many husbands has your Mother had exactly? All dying in mysterious ways? Surely, it's only a matter of time before she ends up in Azkaban where she belongs.' Nick added with a satisfied smirk on his face.

'At least my Mother isn't a mudblood.' Blaise shot back; his breathing ragged from anger.

Harrison shot him a look, and Nick looked ready to pounce when a voice from behind them made Harrison's blood run cold.

'And what exactly is going on in here?' James asked through gritted teeth, arms crossed, no one answered so he turned to look directly at Blaise.

'I think it's best if you go home now, Mr. Zabini.' Blaise gulped and nodded, muttering a goodbye to Harrison before darting for the floo.

'Ron, I spoke with your Mother earlier, you have to stay for dinner, but I'll be telling her what happened here, and I want you and Nick to stay in his room until then. Nick, we'll talk tonight.' They both nodded and ran off, leaving Harrison and James alone in the kitchen.

'Nick started it, him and Weasley, all we wanted was a snack and he started spouting off rubbish about Slytherin's and Death Eaters. And then he said all that stuff about Blaise's Mum, he didn't mean what he said.' James sighed, looking at Harrison with tired eyes.

'Listen son, what Ron and Nick were saying was wrong of them, and I will be talking to both of them later. But what Blaise said about Lily, about your Mother. It was near unforgivable, that word is forbidden in this house, and you know why. If your Mother had heard that, just think about how upset she would have been.' he paused, letting that sink in

'that word may be used frequently in Slytherin, and I can't do anything about that, but in this house, I can. And if he's your friend, Harry, if that's the kind of friend you want, then fine. But they're not welcome in my house acting the way Blaise just did. Do you understand me?' he asked, placing an arm on Harrison's shoulder.

'Whatever' he replied moodily, shrugging the arm off and going up to his room.

* * *

The day before Christmas eve saw Harrison arrive at Malfoy manor. He stepped out of the fireplace to a large entrance hall, consisting of mostly white marble and the odd scattering of flowers in intricate glass vases, he took an instant liking to it. He heard a scuttle behind him and turned to see a small creature dressed what appeared to be an old pillowcase sweeping the dust the floo had created – a house elf, he thought. His mother refused to have them at home, insisting she preferred to do the cleaning herself; stupid if you asked Harrison as the Potter family did own several elves, they currently resided at Hogwarts in the kitchens.

'Harrison' he turned to see Draco walking towards him smiling

'I didn't hear you arrive, come on, I'll introduce you to my parents.'

Harrison followed him through a maze of corridors, portraits hung on every wall and whispered to each other as they passed by.

They entered what appeared to be the living room. It was smaller than Harrison had expected; with two sofas, a couple of small coffee tables, and a smaller fireplace in the centre of one wall, it appeared to be quite cosy. There were several more vases of flowers dotted around and a large Christmas tree in the far corner. Draco's parents were seated on one of the sofas and stood to greet him when they noticed them enter the room.

'Mother, Father, this is Harrison. Harrison, these are my parents' Draco introduced.

'It's lovely to finally meet you, Harrison. Draco hasn't stopped talking about you since he arrived home.' His Mother said, offering her hand to him. Draco went slightly pink at that.

She was a very elegant lady with long blonde hair that fell in graceful waves down her back. She had high cheekbones and porcelain skin. She held herself with all the confidence of a woman born with the world at her feet – and of course she was, born a Black and married into the Malfoy family, she had never wanted for anything in her life.

'The pleasure is all mine, Lady Malfoy' he replied courteously, taking her hand and raising it to his lips, she smiled.

'My, what a gentleman, please Harrison, call me Narcissa or Cissy'

'Of course,' he smiled, turning to Draco's Father, who had been watching the encounter with piercing eyes.

He was very tall, also with platinum blonde hair falling to his waist but tied back neatly. He looked very much like an older version of Draco, from the trademark Malfoy blue eyes and pointed features to the same half smirk he had seen Draco use from time to time. He was holding a long black cane with a snake head topper that Harrison knew to contain his wand and all in all, he was a very imposing figure, he took a deep breath and held out his hand to shake, subconsciously straightening his back as he did so.

'Lord Malfoy, it's a pleasure to meet you.'

'Please Mr. Potter, call me Lucius. And I'm also glad to meet you.' taking his offered hand, he had the same drawl that Draco had too.

'Then I insist you call me Harrison' he nodded in response; the slight smirk still present on his face.

'Well, now the introductions are over and done with, please come and join us boys, Harrison, we were just about to sit down for some tea. We prefer to use this room when we aren't entertaining, it's much less formal.'

'You have a beautiful home Lady Malfoy... I mean Narcissa' he commented as he took a seat

'Thank you, how are you doing in school then Harrison? Draco said you fit in Slytherin very well, did you expect to end up there?' she asked, Harrison watched her expression for a moment before answering.

'I knew it would either be Slytherin or Ravenclaw, so did my parents I think.'

'And they're okay with that?' Lucius asked cautiously, Harrison nodded

'They haven't said any different, they do seem a little skeptical about the friends I've made however, and Nick doesn't help with the nonsense he spouts.'

'I'm sure they'll come around soon enough and see your side of things, they seemed open enough to the idea when they came to visit us the other day' he added.

'Anyway' Draco interrupted 'enough talk about school, may we be excused? I want to show Harrison the gardens.'

'Thanks, I'm getting fed up of answering questions about school and Slytherin' Harrison said as they walked out of the room.

'I can tell, it's the holidays so we should be enjoying ourselves!' he agreed with that

'What will the party be like tonight?' he asked, the thought suddenly popping in his head.

'Well' Draco began 'it will begin around 6 tonight; Mother, Father and I are supposed to greet the guests as they arrive, you'll be with us too. Then they'll all hang around and talk about boring things like politics for a while and then dinner will be served. You'll sit on our table as your family won't be there, Severus – Professor Snape, will also be on our table, he's like family anyway and is my Godfather.'

'Okay, and then what happens after the meal?' Draco continued

'We all go into the ball room where there will be music, and dancing and more standing around talking. Gifts are also exchanged at that point as well, mostly token presents to continue alliances with certain families and the like. You do have dress robes with you right?' he looked worried

'Of course, I have an ancient set that belong to the Black family, I thought they would be fitting for the festivities.' Draco nodded, looking relieved

'Do you do any traditional Yule ceremonies?'

'Not at the party' Draco replied, shaking his head 'they're more private, and besides, the Minister will be there and those ceremonies aren't exactly legal. Have you ever done one?'

'No, my family celebrate Christmas, I tried asking my Father about Yule once and he said I was never to mention it again, that it was dark magic and very dangerous.' Draco snorted

'It's not dangerous, all you do is give up a drop of blood, it doesn't even really do anything, it's more of a religious thing I suppose, traditions that have been passed down for centuries. You mix a potion in the days leading up to it, then you each add a drop of your own blood just before you drink it. It's supposed to help you connect with your magic, but I've never felt any different afterwards.'

Harrison didn't think it sounded that bad, he couldn't understand why his parents would get so angry whenever he mentioned it. Perhaps he would ask Lucius for more information on the matter. Deciding that would be best, he put it to the back of his mind for the time being and enjoyed the rest of the morning with Draco, looking around the grounds and exploring the manor – he particularly enjoyed the look of the library and could only wonder what kind of information was stored within its grasp.

* * *

'Wow, you two certainly scrub up well' Daphne said as her family arrived.

She wore long, dark green dress robes over a floor length matching gown. Both were dotted with diamonds matching an elegant necklace resting on her chest. The older Malfoys greeted her parents, who were also dressed in dark green, and Daphne walked towards the boys, smiling and dragging along what appeared to be a younger version of herself.

'Hello Daphne, Astoria.' Draco greeted politely

'Harrison, this is my younger sister, she'll be joining us at Hogwarts next year.'

Harrison smiled kindly down at the younger girl hiding behind her sister.

'Astoria, it's a pleasure to meet you. Are you looking forward to attending school?' she nodded shyly before running off back to her parents.

'Ignore her, she's just shy. Now tell me Harrison, where did you get those dress robes?' she asked in wonder.

Harrison looked down at himself, the robes had belonged to Sirius' Father when he was a boy, and had fit him quite nicely. They were encrusted with rubies and diamonds, well fitted and screamed pureblood. His Mother said they were too much, and that he should just find a nice set from Diagon Alley, but it was a Malfoy party, and showing off your status mattered here. Sirius had understood, even if he didn't like the idea, he had taken Harrison to the Black vault to look through the ancestral clothes that resided there. Draco was in something similar, he wore robes belonging to Lucius at their age as was tradition, and they perfectly matched his parents' outfits for the evening.

Entering the ball room later that evening, Harrison felt quite content. The food served was delicious, almost as good as at Hogwarts, he thought. Most of the Slytherin house was there, along with their families – who all seemed to be good friends with Lucius, or at least acquaintances as they often shared knowing looks with each other. Harrison wasn't an idiot by far, he knew that most of them had been Death Eaters together, and one of his parents' conditions for allowing him to attend the party was to ensure he wasn't alone with anyone at any time.

'Ah, a Potter, Henry isn't it, or Harry?' a voice sounded from behind him, he turned to see the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, walking towards him, smile plastered on his face.

'Harrison, if you don't mind Sir' he replied politely

'Of course, of course. I have to say; it was a surprise to hear you were going to be here tonight. It's good to finally meet you though, of course. Your brother isn't here as well is he?' he asked, looking around expectantly.

'No, he's not here.' Harrison sighed, Fudge looked disappointed

'That's a shame, I'd have liked to have a chat with him. How is he doing? Top of the class at Hogwarts I assume?'

'Not exactly, he failed most of his classes this term actually' getting annoyed now

'Really? Well, I'm sure he'll do better next term, perhaps they sent him the wrong results' he reasoned 'or maybe he got too caught up in Quidditch, youngest player in a century, isn't he? I bet you're proud to have a brother like him?'

'Hmm' he replied, not really wanting to say anything as it was clear Fudge was a big Nick fan, he felt someone come up behind him.

'Ah, Professor Snape, we were just discussing young Nick.'

'Yes, well, whilst I'm sure Harrison would love to continue that conversation some time, I do have to steal him away now' he said, placing a hand on Harrison's shoulder

'Yes, yes, by all means, go ahead. I'll look forward to that talk Herbert, and perhaps you could bring Nick himself along the next time we meet.' And with that, he left, walking off to talk to someone else he'd seen, Harrison turned to look at his professor.

'Thank you, sir'

'Well, we don't want to cause a scene at the Malfoy party now do we? And I really don't think blowing up at the Minister for Magic of all people would have been the best thing to do, would it?' he asked, regarding him carefully.

'I wouldn't have done anything Sir; he was annoying me though.'

'Yes, I know, I could see it in your face and I could practically feel your magic bubbling over, hense why I came to stop it. Was he talking about Nick the entire time?'

'We weren't really talking for long, but mostly, yes.'

'You know, jealousy isn't the best trait to hold, however understandable it may be.'

'I'm not jealous of Nick!' he all but shouted, not really proving his point at all, Snape raised an eyebrow

'Clearly' Harrison seethed, but seeing as Snape obviously didn't believe him, and not really wanting to get detention again before he even returned to school, he simply turned and left, leaving the professor standing there alone.

'What was all that about?' Blaise asked, nodding in Snape's direction

'Nothing' he muttered, already regretting his outburst 'where's Draco?'

'Dancing with Astoria' Blaise smirked as Daphne started to giggle

'I think she's in love, oh this is brilliant' she said gleefully causing Harrison to shake his head in amusement as she ran off to take a picture of the dancing pair.

'Hey, Harrison, I'm sorry for the other day you know' Blaise said awkwardly

'It's fine, you were provoked, but I don't think you'll be allowed in my house for a while'

'I'm not surprised to be honest, your Father seemed furious, and rightly so really, I'd just insulted his wife – your Mother, I didn't think about it, I was just trying to get back at Nick. What did your Father do when I left?' Harrison shrugged

'He just said some stuff about using that word, and I think he actually yelled at Nick for starting a fight with you, which was interesting, he's been on edge a bit recently with work so he's not really in the best of moods lately. But it's fine.'

'So, we're okay?' Blaise asked hesitantly, Harrison smiled at him.

'Yes, we're fine.' He reassured, causing Blaise to sag in relief.

The rest of the party went by quickly, with the girls dragging them all out to dance at one point or another, and meeting his friends' parents, Harrison was very happy by the time he returned home that evening.

 **A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, Christmas chapter to follow soon...**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

 **A/N: Sorry it's been so long, a lot of things have been going on for me lately. Hopefully I'll be back to uploading more frequently, I hope you enjoy the chapter:-)**

Harrison woke up with a start, he opened his eyes to a face full of black fur, two dark eyes watching him with excitement and upon seeing him wake up, licked him again.

'Eughhh, Sirius, get off' he yelled in disgust, pushing the mutt from the bed.

Sirius barked in response, wagging his tail playfully before jumping back on the bed to pull the covers off him.

'Levicorpus' he whispered, pulling his wand from its holster.

Sirius immediately flipped upside down and flew to the ceiling, whining in protest as his feet stuck. Harrison watched him in amusement for a few moments, before climbing out of bed and into the bathroom to get ready. Once showered and dressed he checked the time to find it was only 6am. Bloody dog, he muttered to himself.

'Harryyyyyy' he heard from his room

He walked out to see Sirius, back in human form, still stuck to the ceiling with his arms crossed, a pout on his face.

'Yes?' he asked innocently

'What's going on up here?' James walked into the room, and upon seeing Sirius, promptly burst into laughter.

'I told you not to wake him, Sirius.' he laughed

'It's not funny!' he protested 'I wish I hadn't told you about that spell' he huffed before turning back to Harrison.

'Pleeeeassseeee let me dowwwn, it's Christmas you know'

'I can't' Harrison said simply, enjoying the commotion

'Why not?' he frowned

'You didn't teach me the counter curse' he shrugged before walking out the room, intent on getting some breakfast before the presents were opened.

He could still hear James' laughter roaring from downstairs as he began to load up a plate with eggs and pancakes.

'What on Earth is going on up there?' Lily asked, still bleary eyed.

'Sirius decided to wake me up' he shrugged nonchalantly 'so I stuck him to the ceiling.'

Remus smirked from the corner of the room; a mug of coffee cradled in his hands.

'Good one cub, Merry Christmas' he said warmly

'Merry Christmas Remus, Mum'

'Happy Christmas darling.'

'Come onnnnnn' Nick yelled from the living room impatiently 'I want to open my presents now!'

James and Sirius walked back downstairs, the latter man looking very disheveled with his hair sticking up all over the place.

'Very funny kiddo, for future reference the counter is liberacorpus, but now it's present time!'

He reached forward and, before Harrison could complain, had grabbed his arm and pulled him over his shoulder, running with him into the living room and ceremoniously dumping him on the sofa before running back to the kitchen. Harrison heard a yelp promptly followed by Sirius running back, this time with Lily in his arms and James and Remus following him laughing.

'Can I start now?' Nick asked, excitement clear on his face

James levitated piles of presents to sit in front of each person before nodding.

'Okay, youngest first, one at a time. Let's go'

Nick needed no more prompt before he dived at his pile, immediately grabbing the large, long package wrapped in his favourite Cannon's paper, he tore at it, revealing, as promised, a nimbus 2000.

'Yes!' he shouted happily, inspecting every inch of the broom.

'I'll definitely be the best at Quidditch now!'

'Remember what I told you though Nick' Lily reminded softly 'if your grades don't improve by summer, you aren't going to be in the team next year.'

Nick nodded absently, intent on making sure everything with the broom was perfect.

'Right then, your turn Harry.' James said, changing the subject.

He looked over the pile of presents that sat in front of him, they were wrapped in dark green paper flecked with silver – Slytherin colours he thought happily. He chose a small, book shaped package that sat on top of the pile; it was slightly smaller than the average book and he ran it through his fingers curiously.

Harrison pulled the paper from the package to find a small, leather-bound notebook. The leather was a very dark green, almost black; on the front lay the Potter crest, and the initials HJP were engraved on the back along with the Black crest. He looked up at his father curiously.

'It's a journal' he explained 'every Potter Lord there has ever been has owned one of these. They're usually used to track Potions or Spell creations as well as Potter secrets and just any general notes or thoughts you might have. They're all kept in the Potter vault – I'll let you read them one day, but you're a little young yet for some of that information.' he said softly.

'You have one?' he asked, he'd never seen his Father writing in a journal, but he nodded in response.

'I got mine when I started Hogwarts, I was waiting to see which house you were sorted in, I wanted it to be a bit more personal for you – which is why it's green rather than the usual brown. As you get older, you'll be expected to keep track of the Potter and Black family lines and anything noteworthy will be added to your journal. Sirius and I will help you with that one day though so you don't need to worry about any of that yet. Just get used to writing down your thoughts and ideas for now' he finished.

'Wow, thank you, I'll keep it safe' he promised, setting the book to one side.

'Okay, so he got a notebook, hurry up, I want to see what else I got!' Nick moaned

'You'll get your presents Nicky, just be patient.' Lily said, admiring the necklace she'd received from James.

They continued on that way for some time; Nick got a multitude of Quidditch gear, sweets, prank kits and a new set of gobstones – not solid gold though, much to Nicks dismay. Harrison received numerous amounts of books on every subject he could possibly think of, sweets and a wonderful marble chess set.

He handed out the presents he'd bought, earning him a shocked look from Nick at the practice snitch he gave him.

'Um, thanks Harry'

'Don't mention it' no really, don't, he thought to himself.

He'd given Sirius and his Father Quidditch books and prank kits, Remus a gift bag of Honeyduke's best chocolate, and his Mother a new bracelet encrusted with emeralds.

'This is beautiful Harry, thank you' his mother reached forward, pulling him into a hug.

'Do you have anything to give Harry, Nick?' James questioned, taking Nick's red face into account.

'Um, sure, I just left it upstairs.' He ran off upstairs before returning and handing Harrison a box of chocolate frogs.

'It's not wrapped, I forgot.' Nick said, running a hand through his hair.

'It's fine, thanks Nick.' He replied quickly, seeing his parents annoyed faces and not wanting anyone to start shouting at Christmas.

'Just the ones from your friends now boys, then you can go off and enjoy your presents for a while before Christmas dinner.' Lily said, gesturing towards the small pile that had arrived by owl that morning.

Harrison opened his to find several older books, mostly from Draco and Blaise, they were definitely darker subjects than the ones he'd received from his family earlier that day – the one from Draco was based around ancient traditions, Yule being the first on the list. He quickly hid that one under a pile of sweets and trinkets he'd been given by the other Slytherins.

He looked over to see Nick pulling on a heavy knit jumper, maroon with a large gold 'N' in the centre.

'Hey, Mum, Dad' he called, swallowing the fudge he'd shoved in his mouth 'Mrs. Weasley sent jumpers for both of you as well, and there's fudge for us all to share.'

James instantly pulled on his own matching jumper, the only difference being the letter 'J' rather than 'N'. Lily smiled at hers, before noticing Harry watching them, she frowned slightly, reading over the letter that had been sent along with the presents before stating she was too warm and she might wear it later.

Harrison didn't really care, he didn't even like Ron so it wouldn't make sense for him to get a present from the boys' family, but it still hurt to be left out – it always did.

The rest of the morning was spent reading through some of the books he'd been given, and breaking in his new chess set by spectacularly beating Remus in a game. Nick and James spent the time outside, trying out the Nimbus before it started to snow – at which point James dragged a protesting Nick back inside to warm up before dinner.

Lily had made quite the spread of food – a large turkey sat in the middle of the enlarged kitchen table surrounded by bowls filled with vegetables, roast potatoes, pigs in blankets and Yorkshire puddings. Two large crackers sat on each plate, one muggle and one magical. Harrison didn't really see the point of the muggle ones, they contained nothing more than a flimsy tissue paper crown, a cheap plastic toy and a terrible joke, but his Mother always liked to include a part of her childhood in the festivities.

Harrison pulled his magical cracker with Sirius; it went off with a large bang and a puff of brightly coloured smoke. Out popped a large inflatable Christmas tree hat, complete with flashing lights and baubles, Sirius shoved it on Harrison's head before he could say anything and picked up a silver tiara for his own head. Harrison rummaged around in the mess to fish out the pack of exploding snap cards he'd also won – much better than the plastic frog that would jump if you flicked it.

They stuffed themselves with food, chatting about whatever they could think of – for once going an entire meal without any bickering between Nick and Harrison much to the adult's delight. Harrison sat back, sighing contently after finishing a third helping of chocolate cake, he was sure he'd never eat another mouthful ever again.

'Anyone want to play chess?' Nick asked as they made their way to retire in the living room.

'I will' Lily said as he set up the board.

'Why don't we have a little tournament?' Sirius asked, knowing he would probably win

'Okay' Nick replied happily 'Ron's been showing me a few things; I can probably even beat you now Uncle Sirius!'

They played for several hours, the final round ending in a very intense match between Harrison and Sirius, they were down to just a few pieces each when Sirius finally won, a triumphant look on his face.

'I'll beat you one day' Harrison muttered, Sirius laughed, ruffling his hair

'You're definitely getting better pup, both of you are.' Looking over to Nick who had finally finished sulking after losing to Remus and was looking through his new Quidditch books.

* * *

Later that evening, Harrison was lay in bed reading through a dueling book Blaise had given him containing some very interesting spells when he heard a soft knocking on his door.

'Come in' he called, closing his book.

'Hey Harry, good day?' James asked, walking in and closing the door behind him.

'Yes, it's been really good' he nodded, James smiled at him softly and took a seat at the end of his bed.

'I've got one more present to give you, but I didn't want to do it in front of Nick.' he placed a package in front of him, Harrison took it curiously.

It was wrapped in the same green paper his other presents had been in, and was large and rather soft. He tore the paper carefully and out fell what seemed to be a silk robe. He picked it up, enjoying the way it ran through his fingers as though it were made of water. It was silvery in colour and had a subtle shimmer to it.

Harrison was admiring it when a thought suddenly struck him and he looked up at his Father who was watching his carefully.

'Is this your invisibility cloak?' he asked in barely a whisper. James nodded.

'It's yours by right as my heir. My Father gave it to me during my First year at Hogwarts, and I wanted to do the same for you. But you have to remember, this isn't a toy. It's not a cheap gimmick that will wear out in a few years, it's the real deal, from the story remember?' Harrison nodded

'You have to be extremely careful with it, don't let anyone find out you have it. Especially Nick. It's difficult, with you being twins, you're so close in age that it seems unfair to him that you're the heir. And he won't be happy if he knows you have this.'

'I won't tell anyone Dad, I promise.'

James nodded again 'I'm trusting you with this Harry, if I find that you've been reckless with it then I'll take it right back and you can have it in a few years instead. Okay?'

'I promise'

'Good' James grinned before continuing 'I'd say don't get into too much mischief with it, but then I think I'd be a hypocrite. So just enjoy it. Merry Christmas Harry.' Harrison smiled

'Merry Christmas Dad.'

* * *

Over the next few days, Harrison did his best to avoid Nick, opting mostly to stay in his room and read through the books his friends had sent him. He'd finished the one about rituals pretty quickly, and as Draco had told him, he didn't see what the problem was. There wasn't really any dark magic involved at all, no sacrifices or any of the nonsense he'd been led to believe happened during them.

Harrison shook his head slightly as he closed the book, putting it in his trunk for safekeeping, he wondered what else his parents had lied to him about.

He headed downstairs to make himself a sandwich, stopping just outside the kitchen when he heard muffled voices.

'I don't care what you have to do Albus. Just put an end to it!' he heard his Mother say

'I'll do my best Lily, I promise you, but the article has already been printed, people will read it and believe it.'

'Surely they can't be that stupid? To believe an eleven-year-old boy is evil!? Evil! It's a strong word Albus.' James added incredulously.

'Unfortunately, my boy, people put a lot of faith in the Prophet, they'll believe what it says.'

'How did they even get this information?' Lily asked, sounding tired 'The troll being released shouldn't have been public knowledge, let alone the fact that four children were involved.'

'Who knows how Rita Skeeter ever finds her information. The fact is that it's out there now, you have to prepare the boys for what people are going to say, especially to Harry.' Dumbledore added.

'He's just a child' Lily said helplessly 'They both are, they shouldn't have to deal with any of this.'

'But we can't keep it from them' James said 'Harry reads the Prophet anyway, and he'll need to know why people are suddenly being so hostile towards him.'

'Speaking of which, how could you not tell us what happened with the troll Albus? We had a right to know.'

'I was going to tell you during my visit over the holidays, I didn't expect you to find out sooner.'

'Do you know who let it in?' James asked

'No, I have my suspicions but no evidence as of yet.'

There was a slight pause in conversation, Harrison didn't know what to think. So, there was an article, about him, probably stating that he was evil. Merlin, people could be so stupid.

'What's happened to the troll now?' Lily suddenly questioned 'Is it back in the dungeon or did you send it away?'

Oh no, Harrison thought.

'Lily, the troll died during that incident.'

'How? Hermione said Harry knocked it out with its club, but that couldn't have killed the thing surely.'

'She said what? Oh, I'm sorry Lily, I thought you both knew.'

'Knew what Albus, spit it out.' James said through gritted teeth.

'Harry killed the troll. I examined the thing myself. It was a blood boiling curse. I haven't approached him about it, I hope that it's just something he read somewhere, that he didn't really know what would happen and just panicked.'

'He used a blood boiling curse.' James stated, sounding shocked.

Well, time to end this conversation, Harrison thought opening the kitchen door and walking in.

Dumbledore was sat at the kitchen table, a cup of tea in front of him, Lily sat across the table, a concerned look on her face and the Daily Prophet open next to her. James was leant against the sink, shock clear on his face and appeared to be deep in thought.

'Morning' he said loudly, everyone's eyes shot to him.

'Good morning my boy!' Dumbledore said brightly, being the first to recover, quickly followed by greetings from his parents.

'I didn't know you were coming over today, Headmaster.' He said politely

'Well, your Mother invited me round to discuss a few things, mainly how we can help Nick improve his grades.'

'I'd suggest him actually doing some work for a start.'

Dumbledore chuckled slightly

'Yes, well, I'm sure he's doing his best under the circumstances.'

'What circumstances?' he asked incredulously.

'You know, my boy, with his fame and his position on the Quidditch team. Sometimes, it takes children a while to settle in at Hogwarts.' Harrison scoffed at that.

'We were told if our grades dropped then we couldn't be on the Quidditch team. Why is that different for him?' Dumbledore looked slightly uncomfortable for a second.

'He'll be warned, but everyone deserves a second chance, you believe that, don't you?' Stupid twinkling eyes, Harrison thought.

'Sure. Anything good in the Prophet?' his parents' eyes suddenly widened in panic.

'N-not really' James stammered, clearly stuck for something to say.

'Mind if I read it?' he asked casually, reaching for the paper.

Lily snatched it out of his reach before he could take it, he looked at her questioningly.

'I haven't finished it yet darling, maybe later.' She said easily.

'He'll find out soon Lily.' Dumbledore said gently.

'Find out what?' James and Lily looked at each other helplessly before Lily sighed and handed him the paper.

He looked down at the front page, the headline screaming out at him

' **BOY-WHO-LIVED STARTS HOGWARTS: SPECIAL ARTICLE'**

He rolled his eyes before scanning down the page, his eyes were drawn to the part about him.

' **Nick's twin brother on the other hand, was sorted into Slytherin. Slytherin over the years has housed many known Death Eaters, along with You-know-who himself, we can't help but wonder if this means Nick's brother is in fact evil himself.'**

He scanned further down the page, there was a section about the troll incident, saying how heroic Nick was to save a fellow student, and that Harrison had used some dark magic to get rid of the troll, only after suggesting he'd released the thing in the first place.

'What is this nonsense? Is this really what people think about me?' he asked, looking specifically at Dumbledore.

'Of course not, my boy, it's just a silly article, I'm sure no-one will even pay attention to it.'

'Yes, they will' Harrison scoffed 'it's the prophet, everyone reads it, and most of them are stupid enough to believe what it says. They already hate Slytherin as it is, they don't even mention my name in this thing, just that I'm Nick's twin, or Nick's brother.' He fumed, throwing the paper down on the table.

'It'll be okay Harry; we'll sort it out' James soothed.

'Really? You're going to tell everyone who has read this paper the truth? That I'm not evil? Good luck with that one, even if you managed it, they wouldn't believe you.'

'I'll have a word with Ms Skeeter, she won't write another article like this one, people will believe it for a while, but eventually it will die down.' Dumbledore added.

'Whatever, I'll be upstairs if you want me, apparently thinking up ways to use dark magic to kill Nick.'

'Harry' Lily called helplessly after him, he ignored her, still angry at the article. He knew people didn't really value him, especially not next to Nick, so the fact that his name wasn't used once in the story wasn't anything new. But to be called evil, simply based on his house? Nick was a hero for going after the troll but clearly, he himself had something to do with it, why else would he go after it.

He paced his bedroom, unsure of what he was going to do. Everyone at Hogwarts would know about it by the time he went back, they'd all see him as evil, he didn't really know how that made him feel. He was used to being ignored, and he hated it, but to be noticed for this?

'I guess I'll just have to wait and see how people react' he thought, calming down slightly. He'd be back at Hogwarts's in a few days anyway, no point in worrying about it until then.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you all enjoyed that, what do you think the response to the article will be? And what will Nick be like when he finds out Harrison had the invisibility cloak?  
** **Please review, comment etc etc, and look forward to more coming soon!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Okay so it's been a while since I last updated, but here's another one for you. I have a little more time on my hands than usual at the moment with everything going on in the world, so I should upload again soon.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 12:

Harrison wrapped his cloak tighter around his body as he strolled through the castle. He had been back at school for several days now and the corridors were chilly in the crisp winter. He'd managed to escape his friends for a moment of peace, claiming forgotten notes to leave their study session. His friends were brilliant, and he definitely preferred their company to Nick's; but they didn't leave him alone, and that was beginning to get on his nerves.

The corridors were nearly empty – most people either in class or retreating to the warmth of common rooms or the library to study. Harrison savoured the quiet, allowing his mind to wander as he traced unknown pathways of the castle he'd grown to love. He opened the odd door on his way, finding nothing but abandoned classrooms or store cupboards.

A sound from up ahead startled him, and, not wanting to be thrown from his peaceful walk just yet, Harrison opened the nearest door he could find and ran inside.

He stood by the door for a few moments, holding it closed, the only sound he could hear was his own breathing. Once he was sure whatever had made the noise was gone, he turned around to inspect the room he'd stumbled upon.

It was dark in the room, it appeared mostly empty at first, like the other abandoned classrooms he'd stumbled upon. There were old desks and chairs stacked against the wall, a thin layer of dust covering them and parchment scattered across the floor. Harrison was about to turn and leave when he noticed a tall rectangular object in the corner covered with an old sheet.

He walked slowly towards it, he could almost feel the magic strumming from beneath the cloth, his heart pounding as he got closer.

He reached out and pulled the sheet from the object, the fabric cascading to the floor as he stepped backwards to avoid it.

What stood before him was a beautiful mirror. It was old, that much he could tell. An ornate frame surrounding the glass. How could something this ordinary be so beautiful, he wondered.

His eyes fell on the reflection, and what he saw nearly caused him to shout out in shock.

It looked like him, exactly as he was now – although smiling rather than the slacked mouth expression he currently wore.

His Father was stood behind him, a proud smile on his face as he looked into the eyes of his eldest, hands resting upon Harrison's shoulders. His Mother stood next to his Father, a soft smile on her face and she held in her hands a news article.

'HARRISON POTTER – CHILD PRODIGY?'

His brother was there too, although looking much different than in reality. He too was wearing a Slytherin uniform, his hair less scruffy than usual, and he was also smiling warmly at his brother.

Harrison stared at the reflection for several minutes before looking behind him to ensure that it wasn't in fact, real.

He shook his head slightly, what was this thing? He wondered.

His eyes were drawn to the top of the frame, where read an inscription:

'erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi'

A mirror, he thought.

'I show not your face, but your heart's desire' he whispered to himself.

Is this what he wanted? His family, but just a little different. A place he could fit in, and receive the recognition he felt he deserved.

He frowned; eyes drawn back to the image in front of him. He felt a sudden longing in his heart, a feeling he used to get every time his Father and brother would go off and play Quidditch without him, he used to tell himself he didn't care, that he didn't really want to play anyway. Eventually the feeling went away, buried deep inside. He didn't want it back.

With one final look, he turned away, leaving the room and not stopping until he reached the comfort of the common room.

'There you are, I thought you were coming back to the library?' Draco asked, walking out from the dorm room.

'Are you okay?' he said, looking at Harrison in concern

'Yeah, I think so' Draco didn't look as though he believed him

'Where have you been?' he asked, Harrison shook his head

'I'll show you later' he replied, feeling the need to sit down for a while.

Draco didn't push it, and instead pulled Harrison over to sit near the roaring fire and talk about the upcoming Quidditch match against Gryffindor.

'So how good of a seeker is Nick?' he asked curiously

'He's good. Really good, but he's cocky too, he thinks he's even better than he actually is and will take every opportunity to show off, often forgetting to look for the snitch at all. Dad tried to get him to focus more but it never worked, he'll try and pull all sorts of stunts and stuff. If the Slytherin team can egg him on, then we've won, if he gets a chance to focus, then he'll most likely catch it before we even know what's happened.'

Draco looked deep in thought for a moment

'Okay, I'll let Flint know. I wish I was playing' he whined

'Reserve seeker is great for a first year Draco! Don't sell yourself short because of Nick. Gryffindor had no other option for Seeker this year, so there was no one to go up against him. But the Slytherin Seeker leaves next year, so that'll be your spot, and you'll have had a year to train with the team and watch the other houses play. You'll be great.'

Draco smiled, suddenly looking a lot happier than he had before

'Thanks Harrison'

'Come on' he said suddenly, standing up 'I'll show you what I found earlier'

The corridors were a lot busier than they'd been earlier in the day, so Harrison, not wanting anyone to see where they were going, dragged Draco into the nearest bathroom.

'What are you doing?'

'Shh' he said, making sure no one else was in the room

'I don't want anyone to follow us, here, Dad gave me this for Christmas' he pulled the invisibility cloak out of his bag, showing Draco how it worked.

Draco's eyes widened in shock

'Is that?'

Harrison nodded

Draco grinned 'wow'

'Come on, it should be big enough for both of us to fit under it.'

Harrison wrapped the cloak around them both, and they walked slowly and quietly to their destination. Once they were in the room, he pulled the cloak off.

'So, you found an abandoned classroom?' Draco asked, unimpressed

'Yes, I found an abandoned classroom with this in it' he spun Draco around so he could see the mirror.

Harrison stayed back as Draco walked towards it curiously.

Looking in the mirror, he stepped back in shock and looked behind him quickly.

'What is this?' he whispered

'What do you see?' Harrison asked

Draco paused for a moment before replying

'Me. And my Mother and Father. Father looks... proud. And I have a Quidditch uniform on and the snitch in my hand. And there's an award next to me.' he looked closer

'It's an award for special services to the school!'

He broke his gaze with the reflection and turned to Harrison

'What is this?'

Harrison pointed to the inscription at the top of the mirror, Draco read it frowning slightly.

'Heart's desire' he whispered

'What's it doing here?' he wondered aloud, still gazing in the mirror

'I don't know'

'What do you see?' Draco asked

Harrison paused for a while; did he trust Draco enough to know his heart's desire? The truth, yes, he probably did. He told him.

Draco nodded slightly, their desires were similar after all, if anyone understood Harrison, it was Draco.

'We shouldn't come back here.' Draco said suddenly 'There's no point looking at this.'

'I know' he replied

'Do you want one last look?' he asked, walking towards Harrison, who paused briefly before replying

'No. Let's go'

They wrapped the cloak back around themselves and left. 

* * *

Harrison was woken suddenly as the duvet was pulled from around him.

'Come onnnnnn Harrison, it's Quidditch day!'

Harrison groaned and rolled over, hiding his face back in his pillow.

'No, you can't go back to sleep. I want good seats.'

'Then go and get them, I'll join you in four hours when the match actually starts' he yawned, sitting up to see that Draco had already woken the other boys in the dorm and was fully dressed.

'No, you're coming with me, and besides, we need to get some food first.'

'That won't take four hours Draco. The next time you wake me up this time for something stupid, I'm putting you on the ceiling and you can stay there until you figure out how to get back down.'

Draco rolled his eyes at the threat and pulled Harrison out of bed by the arm

'Hurry up, don't you want to see your brother get destroyed by the Slytherin team?'

Harrison sighed

'Fine, let me have a shower at least before we go.'

Draco was the only one in the great hall by the time he got there

'Draco, not even the Quidditch team are up yet' he complained

'It'll be worth it when we get the best seats in the entire stadium!' he was practically buzzing with excitement, and Harrison couldn't help but smile at his friend

'See, the very best seats!' Draco announced happily

They were quite good, Harrison admitted to himself looking out at the pitch, you could see everything from here. However, it was rather empty, not a single person in sight and there was still an hour to go before it started.

'They're good, but still not worth it' he complained, wrapping his scarf tighter round his neck in an attempt to ward off the morning chill

'Stop being such a spoil sport! Look, there are people arriving now anyway' he pointed towards the other stands, which were slowly filling up with excited students.

The teachers were some of the last to arrive, Harrison saw his parents sitting next to Professor McGonagall. Of course, they wouldn't miss Nick's first match, his mother seemed to be scanning the crowd, looking for him probably.

Madam Hooch stood ready in the middle of the pitch, Quaffle in her hands waiting. The teams had entered the pitch and flown off to their starting places. Nick was sat in the centre of the field, above all the other players. He was looking around at the crowd excitedly, waving to their parents when he saw them.

Their mother waved back cheerily, but James shook his head slightly mouthing 'focus' to Nick, who nodded, seeming to snap out of his excitement a little.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle and released the balls, throwing the Quaffle high in the air before mounting her own broom ready to circle the match.

'And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor – what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive too- '

The commentator was cut off suddenly, Harrison looked over in time to see McGonagall shouting something at him. He continued and the game went on.

Harrison was rather enjoying the game, it was fast paced, and Slytherin were winning, their Chasers were excellent even if their Seeker was spending more time watching the game than he was looking for the snitch.

He glanced towards Nick, who looked rather overwhelmed by the game and seemed to be struggling to focus, especially when a Bludger came hurtling towards him, narrowly missing his head.

He had to admit, the Gryffindor team were also very good, the Weasley twins worked together perfectly as Beaters, and their Keeper – Wood, he was brilliant.

All of a sudden, Nick shot downwards, the Slytherin Seeker doing the same. They'd found the Snitch! They were neck and neck, Nick was just about to edge in front when Flint shot forwards, blocking Nick's view and causing him to halt abruptly, clinging to his broom.

Harrison heard a sigh of relief from the Slytherin side and an uproar from the Gryffindor's, all calling foul. The foul was awarded, and Gryffindor scored the free shot easily.

'Our Seeker better up his game, Potter would have caught the Snitch if Flint hadn't intervened.' Draco muttered beside him.

'How did Potter even get on the team, he can't even fly properly, look at him!' One of the Slytherin's laughed from behind them.

He caught sight of his brother again, who appeared to be having issues with his broom.

'Something's wrong' he said quietly, watching as the broom jerked from side to side, it looked as though it were trying to throw Nick off the broom.

He looked over to his parents, who were watching with increasing concern, talking rapidly to Dumbledore.

The broom shot sideways again and Nick swung off it, holding on with only one hand now and looking very scared.

Looking back over to his parents, his eyes were drawn to a Professor Snape, whose robes appeared to have caught on fire, he noticed soon after and yelled, throwing his robe to the floor, knocking Quirrell down as he did. Harrison noticed Granger walking rapidly away from the teachers and back to where she was sat with Weasley.

Harrison narrowed his eyes slightly, why would she set fire to a teacher? There was a sudden cheer from the crowd and he looked up to notice Nick back on his broom, which was now seemingly under control.

He was confused. Granger would only do that if she thought – but no. Why would a teacher, and Snape at that, try to do something like cursing the broom Nick was on? It was too risky, especially with all the other Professors as well as his parents, sat right next to him.

No, there had to be some other explanation.

Nick was shooting towards the ground again. Everyone was watching, the rest of the game abandoned. The Slytherin Seeker would never catch up. Nick hesitated and slowly stopped the broom and dismounted, he'd gone quite pale and looked as though he was going to throw up. He put his hand to his mouth slowly and when he looked up to the crowd, he raised his fist.

He'd got the Snitch.

'I've got it!' he shouted gleefully

'I've won!'

The Slytherin team began to protest as the stadium filled with the cheers of the Gryffindors, and the rest of the school for that matter.

'He didn't catch it! He nearly swallowed the thing!' Flint yelled, outraged as Madam Hooch announced that Gryffindor had won the game.

Draco groaned

'We should have won' he said dejectedly

'Cheer up Draco, it was just luck, he didn't even catch the thing' Harrison tried, Draco smiled a little

'Yeah, still wish he'd have fallen off the broom though. What do you think happened?'

'I don't know. It was strange, it's a new broom, so there's no way it was just faulty, someone's messed with it'

'Do you think it was someone in Slytherin?' Blaise asked, joining the conversation 'maybe hoping to destroy any chance of them winning?'

'It seemed quite advanced, too advanced for a student anyway. Except perhaps one of the older ones, but I don't think they'd have done something like that. It was too risky.' Daphne added

'Well, whatever it was, it's over now. Anyone fancy a game of chess before lunch?' Draco asked, seeming to have forgotten the defeat altogether.

Harrison saw his parents stood near the entrance to the castle, they spotted him and waved him over.

'I'll meet you guys in the common room' he muttered, making his was towards his family.

'Harry!' his mother exclaimed happily, pulling him into a hug

'How are you?'

'I'm okay thank you, I'd be better if we'd have won though' he joked easily, his father chuckled

'Yes, I'm sure you would, at least you can be happy that your brother did well, even if your team didn't.'

'Well, he didn't catch the Snitch but sure'

'Yes well, it was an interesting game.' James said, pausing 'You'd tell us if you ever heard anyone mentioning Nick in Slytherin house, wouldn't you?' he asked

'In what way?'

'Well, if anyone had plans to hurt him, or throw him off his broom for example' he said, getting straight to the point

'I don't think anyone in Slytherin would do that, it was too open, too risky, and too advanced.' Harrison replied

'But you think they could try to hurt him?' Lily asked, reading between the lines, Harrison shook his head

'I don't know, I don't really talk to the older students that much. Is there anything else you want to talk about? I have homework.'

'We really should go and make sure your brother is alright, just keep an eye out for him, won't you?' Harrison shrugged and said goodbye as they rushed off towards the Gryffindor changing rooms.

He was lost in thought as he entered the castle, still wondering why Granger of all people would set fire to a teacher. It baffled him quite frankly, it's not something he ever thought a goodie two shoes like that would do. But then again, she did lie to the Professors about the troll incident as well. Maybe there was more to the girl than he'd originally thought.

'Well, look what we have here. A little snake'

Harrison turned to find himself face-to-face with three Gryffindor students, by their height he imagined they were at least fifth years.

'What do you think you're doing little snake?' One of them taunted, Harrison noticed he had his wand in his hand and slowly reached for his own.

'I'm just going back to the common room, nothing unusual' he said easily, unsure as to where this was going

'Now, a snake is never not up to something' one of the other boys said, joining in

'What happened to Nick's broom at the match?' the first boy asked suddenly

'What?' Harrison replied, stunned

'We know you had something to do with it'

'I'm a first year, and his brother at that, I'm hardly going to try to kill him, am I?'

The boys scoffed

'We read the Prophet at Christmas. We know what you are, even if you do have most of the Professor's here fooled. It's only a matter of time before they catch on'

'Are you really that stupid?' he asked incredulously, their expressions changed to anger, okay, maybe not the best thing to say, he admitted to himself.

'You'll regret that.' the first boy said, Harrison was suddenly faced with three wands pointed to his face and quickly pulled out his own in an attempt to defend himself.

* * *

Harrison limped towards the common room slowly. He definitely needed to learn more spells, he decided. Granted, he thought he'd done quite well considering the age difference, and the fact it was three against one. He'd managed to fend off a few of the spells, and even cast a few himself, but no matter, he'd lost that battle.

He didn't know where to go, if he went to the hospital wing, he'd be bombarded with questions and his parents would probably even get involved. He didn't want that. He didn't want people to know what had happened, that he'd lost – he couldn't give them the satisfaction. He felt weak, and Harrison hated feeling weak.

Snape. He decided, he'd go to Snape.

Ignoring the common room completely, he went straight to Professor Snape's office. He could hear raised voices coming from the room, Flint was in there, complaining about the outcome of the match no doubt.

Harrison raised a weak arm and knocked three times.

There was a slight pause before the door opened, Flint was staring down at him in shock, he moved his eyes to look at their Head of House who wore an equally shocked expression.

Harrison admitted, he must look quite the sight. He could feel how bruised his face must be and hadn't failed to notice the amount of blood flowing from a large cut on his cheek.

'If you've finished staring, I'd quite like to sit down before I collapse' he said quietly, causing Flint to pull him inside the room and direct him towards the sofa.

Professor Snape had also jumped into action, pulling out potions from a cabinet and bringing them over. Harrison swallowed them as quickly as he could. Someone really needed to do something about the taste of these things, he thought bitterly as he swallowed a particularly revolting concoction.

'What the hell happened to you?' Flint asked suddenly

'I got bitten by a werewolf' he said sarcastically 'what do you think happened?'

'Gryffindor's' Flint muttered darkly. Snape looked up at that

'How many of them? And I want names'

'Three, and I don't know their names, they were around fifth or sixth year though'

'Did they say anything?' Snape asked 'Or did they just attack'

Hmm, this had clearly happened before as neither of them looked surprised at the revelation.

'They read the Prophet. Decided they'd rid the world of evil' he announced sarcastically.

Snape rolled his eyes 'Idiots. Did they think what happened to Nick was your fault?'

'Yup' Harrison said cheerily 'Apparently I'm such a genius I know how to do advanced curses like that one' he then groaned slightly as he'd moved his head a bit faster than he should have done.

Snape turned back to Flint 'Take him back to the common room, keep an eye on him for the rest of the day, any changes to his condition and bring him straight here.'

'You know I can hear you'

Snape turned back to him.

'Take this, it's bruise paste, put it on your face before bed, the bruises should be mostly gone by the morning. Try to take it easy, and stick with your friends if you can for the next few days at least. Don't go anywhere alone if you can help it.' Harrison nodded, too tired to protest.

'What in Merlin's name happened to you?' Draco yelled as Flint helped him into the common room.

The room grew quiet as everyone noticed the state he was in, Harrison groaned internally, he didn't want an audience right now.

'I can walk you know' he protested, trying to pull his arm out of Flint's grip, wincing as he did so.

Flint raised an eyebrow but otherwise ignored him and didn't let go until Harrison was sat in a chair by the fire.

'Gryffindor are on the war path' he announced loudly to the room 'Keep an eye out for the younger ones, Prefect's, a word if you could' calling them over.

Harrison groaned internally, so much for no one finding out. Well, at least no one in Slytherin would tell anyone else, so that was something.

'Was it about what happened to Nick?' Daphne asked, Harrison nodded slightly

'Did you guys read the Prophet article at Christmas?'

'The one where you're basically the next coming of the Dark Lord?' Blaise asked casually, Harrison rolled his eyes

'Yeah, that one'

'Yep. Wish you'd have told us though, it's an odd way for your 'future followers' to find out' he grinned, quoting the article.

Harrison laughed lightly, at least he could count on his friends. He wondered briefly if Nick knew what had happened before shaking it off. They might not get along, but they were still brother's after all.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review and let me know what you think so far...**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Here's another one for you, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 13:

'But Snape was limping as well remember? Nick saw his leg, he must have been near the dog, so it must have been him who cursed the broom!' Weasley said triumphantly from a corner of the library.

Harrison had been looking for a book of defensive spells when he found himself drawn into the conversation being held. He rolled his eyes at Weasley's reasoning.

'And it stopped as soon as you set fire to his robes Hermione!' Nick added

He saw the girl's face turn slightly pink in embarrassment through a gap in the bookcase he was hiding behind.

'Do lower your voice Nick. And I told you, it was just a spur of the moment idea, it could have just been a coincidence.'

'Then there are a lot of those happening around Snape, Hermione' Nick replied 'How else would you explain the limp then?'

'I don't know, maybe it was from the dog, but he is a teacher remember, perhaps he was just checking on it, making sure whatever it's guarding is still safe' she paused for a moment

'And besides, a limp hardly means anything at all. If you hadn't noticed your brother has been walking around with a limp for the past few days. I suppose you think that means he too is trying to steal whatever is inside?'

'Harry has a limp?' Nick asked at the same time Ron replied

'It wouldn't surprise me if he was in on it with Snape!'

'Oh, for goodness sake Ron! Now you're just being ridiculous'

Hmm, this was interesting. Harrison thought to himself, so Nick didn't know about the attack - he felt some relief at that, and the Granger girl was still surprising him with her revelations. She was definitely smarter than he'd given her credit for. He briefly wondered why she'd not been sorted into Ravenclaw, before remembering her stupid impulse with the whole fire thing. Although, stupid as it was, it had the desired effect.

'Maybe we should ask Hagrid again about the dog, he seemed to know something about it. I'm sure it wouldn't take much for him to crack' Nick said, cutting Harrison's thoughts short as he listened more intently.

'Alright' Hermione replied 'Let me just put these books back'

'Are you gonna tell her about the mirror?' Ron asked Nick in a whisper

That caught Harrison's attention, who was beginning to think he wouldn't learn anything interesting listening to this conversation. They'd found the mirror.

'I don't know, do you think she'll want to look? I'm going back tonight'

'I dunno mate. I don't think it's a great idea, and she wouldn't let you leave the common room past curfew anyway.'

'True. Do you want to come?' Nick sounded excited

'No, it made me feel a bit weird, I like what I saw, but it's not real'

'It could show the future though!'

'How can it? You said yourself, there's no way that-'

'What are you doing?' A quiet voice asked from behind him, causing him to jump and nearly fall into the bookcase. Flint.

'Um, looking for a book?' he tried

'If you need to look that closely, maybe you need glasses' Flint said, amusement clear in his voice.

He peered around Harrison, clearly noticing who was sat the other side

'Find out anything good?'

'Not really' I missed that part, thanks to you, Harrison thought bitterly

'Well, then you haven't really got a reason to be here alone have you? Come on, I'll take you back to the common room'

'I'm fine, really' he tried to convince him 'I don't need a babysitter!'

'Snape's orders I'm afraid. Gryffindor's can be nasty when they want to be, I'm not taking any chances with the First Year's at the minute. So, unless you want me to get one of the other Prefects to waste their time watching your every move, I'd suggest you stick with your friends.' He said rather firmly.

Annoyed, Harrison followed him to the common room before heading up to his dorm to find a book to read before Transfiguration.

His mind wondered back to the conversation he'd overheard. So, they thought Professor Snape cursed the broom, that would explain why Granger set fire to the man. But why would they think that in the first place? He hadn't tried to hurt Nick before, had he? And why would they think he was trying to steal whatever the dog was guarding? It didn't make any sense.

Granger had noticed the limp as well, which annoyed Harrison. He thought he'd done a good job of hiding his injuries, they were mostly gone now, but his leg still ached when he moved. And Nick hadn't noticed, not that that surprised him in the slightest, he didn't notice much unless it effected Nick himself. It also erased Harrison's previous suspicion that Nick had known about the attack.

And then there was the fact that Nick and Weasley had found the mirror. He longed to know what Nick saw, what he truly wanted, how similar or different it was to Harrison's own desires. All he'd gathered was that one of their desires wasn't possible, and they hadn't figured out what it was showing them.

'Interesting read?'

Harrison looked up to see Draco walking towards him. He'd been lay on his bed staring at the first page of the book, lost deep in his thoughts.

He smiled slightly and closed the book.

'Time for Transfiguration?' he asked, Draco nodded

'Didn't want you to miss it. Are you okay? You've been up here for almost half an hour'

'Fine, just lost in thought for a bit. Nothing interesting really'

Draco didn't look as though he believed him, but dropped the matter anyway.

'Do you want to come to Quidditch practice with me tonight?' he asked as they walked to their class

'I'm not on the team remember'

'Yeah, but Flint won't mind, and you could show off your Chaser skills as well' Harrison shook his head

'I told you, I don't really want to play, maybe next year if the team are desperate, but if there's anyone who can even remotely play well, I'm not joining.'

'I'll make sure Flint see's you fly before then. He won't let you sit on the side lines for long after that'

Harrison laughed slightly

'You know, that plan would have worked a lot better if you hadn't told me about it' Draco huffed slightly

'You just don't appreciate the art of Quidditch. But don't worry my friend, I'll teach you the ways.' Draco said seriously before grinning and causing Harrison to laugh.

* * *

'You will be continuing to practice transfiguring your mice into Snuffboxes today class. Don't forget the wand movement and clear pronunciation, we don't want to see any Snuffboxes with whiskers. You may begin.'

'Harrison, could you help me please? I just can't seem to get it to work' Daphne said dejectedly

He walked over to her desk and looked at her snuffbox, which was still furry and sporting both whiskers and a tail.

Talking her through it gently, and correcting her wand movement and very slightly incorrect pronunciation, he then demonstrated himself.

A line of blue light shot from his wand to the mouse, a familiar rush spreading through his body as the small animal gracefully changed into a Silver snuffbox. He would work on the appearance later.

'Now you try' he said, turning it back into a mouse

Daphne took a deep breath and said the incantation. The mouse grew longer and more box shaped before changing completely into an equally impressive Silver box. She beamed at him, and he smiled gently back.

'Well done!'

'Thank you, Harrison! I can't believe I just did that'

'Congratulations, Miss Greengrass. 5 points to Slytherin for a perfect transfiguration. Keep practising though, make sure you can do it that well every time.' Professor McGonagall smiled down at the pair

'And take 5 points yourself Mr. Potter. Keep up the good work'

'Thank you, Professor' he smiled and went back to his own seat to work on his own snuffbox, trying to decide on a good pattern to add to it. Flint had hinted to them that this particular Transfiguration would be on the final exam at the end of the year.

'And how are you getting along Mr. Potter?' Harrison looked up

She had made her way over to the Gryffindor side of the room and stood over Nick and Weasley.

'Um, I think I can do it' Nick said, seeming unsure of himself as the entire class was now watching

He muttered the incantation. The mouse squeaked before changing into a box-shape, however, it still had fur, ears, a nose, whiskers and even feet, and immediately tried to scurry off the table.

The Slytherin side of the room laughed, earning them a glare from the Professor.

'That needs work Mr. Potter. Try pronouncing it more clearly, enunciate each syllable and remember to think about what you're doing. Focus more and I'm sure you'll have no trouble at all.'

She looked around the room briefly, eyes settling on Harrison. No, don't say it.

'Perhaps your brother could assist you?'

'No way!' Nick all but yelled

'Excuse me?' she asked sternly, Nick clearly didn't get the warning

''I'm not letting _him_ teach me! Let Hermione do it or something'

'That's 5 points you've just lost Gryffindor Mr. Potter.' she turned back towards Harrison

'Do you have a problem with assisting your brother?' Yes, Harrison thought

'No, Ma'am. I'd be happy to help' he said politely earning him a smile

'Then it's settled. No arguments' she said to Nick, who looked as though he was going to explode.

'Good luck' Draco whispered to him as he stood to cross the room.

He sat down next to Nick, who was scowling at him and looking very put-out.

'I don't need your help' he said in an annoyed yet hushed tone as McGonagall was still watching them.

Harrison raised an eyebrow and gestured towards the box-shaped mouse on the desk

'You sure about that?' he sighed 'Look, you don't want me to work with you, I understand that, believe me. But it's happening, so suck it up and listen to me or you'll be stuck with me for a lot longer than either of us want.'

'Fine' Nick huffed

Harrison tried to explain in detail again, just like he had with Daphne. Nick just looked at him with a blank expression.

'That's what I did' he insisted

'Then try it again, but say the word clearly this time'

Nick cleared his throat and tried again, the mouse lost its feet and ears this time, but otherwise remained the same.

'Better' Harrison said 'Keep going, imagine every stage in your head as if it's happening just the way you want it to.'

Nick wasn't stupid, Harrison knew that much, and he also knew that Nick was powerful for his age, he just didn't try.

'Why didn't it work?'

'It's getting closer, you just need to practice' he replied, trying to be encouraging

'I don't want to practice! I just want it to work'

'That's stupid, everyone has to practice, you can't just get it immediately' Harrison was beginning to get annoyed with his brother

'I'm not like everyone else! I should be able to just do it!' Harrison scoffed

'That's one of the most stupid things I've ever heard you say!'

'Shut up! Don't call me stupid!' he shouted, causing the class to go quiet

'I didn't call you stupid, just that what you said was stupid'

'What is going on?' McGonagall was in front of them again

'He called me stupid! I said I don't want his help!' her eyes grew stern as Nick shouted at her

'You've just earned yourself a detention on top of the points lost, Mr. Potter.' She turned to Harrison

'What happened?'

'I just said that him not wanting to practice is stupid, Professor'

'Mr. Potter, you have to practice magic, very few people can do spells perfectly on their first attempt, even the very best of us will always need to practice. If you do not, then you will not become one of the best.'

Nick began to turn pink with embarrassment

'You see to it that all of you practice your spells. I expect everyone to be able to at least have the basic form down by our next lesson.' She announced to the entire class before dismissing them.

'What the hell did you do that for?' Nick shouted at him as he pulled Harrison roughly into a side corridor away from watching eyes.

'What are you on about?' he asked, feeling very confused

'You made me look like an idiot in there' Harrison raised an eyebrow in response

'I think you did that to yourself, Nick.'

At that point Weasley and Granger turned the corner to find them. Great, Harrison thought, just what he needed.

Granger looked between the two of them in concern, Weasley however, jumped straight to conclusions.

'What are you doing to him?' He shouted towards Harrison 'Nick are you okay?'

'Why do you automatically assume that I've done something?' Weasley looked at him disbelievingly

'Because you're a Slytherin, you've always done something' Harrison snorted in response

'That doesn't even make sense, I can see why you aren't in Ravenclaw'

Weasley went red, quickly turning to anger and shoving Harrison. He winced as his still slightly bruised shoulder slammed against the wall. Really, he thought, it was so easy to wind the boy up, it was almost embarrassing.

He saw the boy reach to his pocket where his wand sat.

'I wouldn't if I were you' he warned, his own hand resting lightly on his wand.

'Ron don't.' Granger finally joined in the conversation

'Come on, let's just go, Gryffindor have lost enough points this week as it is'

Weasley withdrew his hand, huffing slightly

'Fine. Come on Nick.' he turned back to Harrison 'One day, I swear, I'll fight you one day.' Harrison snorted.

Oh the spells he wished he could practise on the boy.

'I look forward to it' he said cheerily as Hermione physically dragged Weasley away.

He followed them out of the corridor to catch up with his friends

'Where have you been?' Blaise asked

'Oh, no-where, just having a friendly catch up with my brother'

He noticed Blaise and Daphne look at each other in concern, but neither of them said any more on the matter.

'Where are you all headed?'

'We were going to go to the Library for a bit before dinner, are you joining us?' Daphne replied hopefully, he'd been spending more time alone the past few days.

'Of course, who else is going to stop you all from getting a T on your Potions homework' he joked, causing them to laugh happily.

* * *

'Wait, is it two frog's legs or three?' Theo asked, very confused

'Two'

'Three' Blaise and Draco said simultaneously, both seemingly confident

'Well, that's helpful' Theo muttered as Draco and Blaise began arguing

Harrison rolled his eyes, they looked at him expectantly but he shook his head.

'Find it yourself, Chapter 7' Pointing to the book in front of Blaise before getting up himself.

He'd noticed his brother and companions again, they had been in the Library a lot lately, and all of them looking through books with a vigour only Granger usually possessed. He'd never seen Nick voluntarily read a book in his life, so naturally, it had piqued his interest.

There didn't appear to be any particular subject they were looking at, pulling out books from every shelf and flicking through the pages quickly.

They were clearly looking for something, and Harrison wanted to know what it was.

He moved near to where the trio were sat, aimlessly browsing bookcases as he went. Granger had a large stack of books next to her and methodically picked up each one, flicked through each page carefully before sighing and placing the read book to a new pile on her left.

Weasley was stood at a bookshelf behind her, pulling out books at random and scanning the pages quickly before shoving it none too gently back on the shelf.

Nick, however, seemed to have abandoned his pile of books entirely, and was counting out chocolate frog cards into different piles.

He paused at one of the cards, turning it around with a bored expression on his face. Dumbledore, Harrison noticed, they had about 100 of those cards at home. Nick was about to throw the card down when he stopped all of a sudden, his eyes widening in shock.

'I've found him' he whispered, causing both Granger and Weasley to stop and look at him.

Found who? Harrison thought impatiently.

'Listen: 'Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood and _his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicholas Flamel'_ I told you! I told you I'd heard his name before!'

Nicholas Flamel? Is that who they'd been looking for? They'd definitely been in the wrong section of the Library then; they hadn't looked at his time period at all as far as Harrison had noticed. But why would they want to read about him?

Granger had jumped up in excitement and run off to the other side of the room.

They'd been talking about that three-headed dog the other day. And what it had been guarding, he thought suddenly with excitement. So, if Flamel is involved with whatever it's guarding, could it be the Philosopher's Stone? That is what Flamel is most famous for after all. But why hide it in a school?

He zoned back into the conversation the trio were having now that Granger had returned with a rather large book.

'-makes gold and stops you from dying! No wonder Snape's after it. I'd want that. Anyone would' Nick exclaimed with a look of wonder on his face.

Harrison rolled his eyes, they still thought Snape was trying to steal it, and now they thought they knew what it was that he was trying to steal. Did they honestly think that knowing would do anything anyway? That they would be able to stop a fully grown wizard who, according to Nick, also wanted to kill him? Probably. Nick did have a tendency to believe he could do anything, and more unfortunately, that he should be allowed to do anything.

Having found the information that he'd been after all week, he went back to his friends in a much better mood, picking up a book of hexes and their counter spells on his way.

'We found the answer, finally' Draco muttered, glaring at Blaise, who had been correct.

'You could have just told us though'

'And what would you have learnt from that?' he asked with a grin

'That you're a know-it-all who takes pity on his friends?' he tried, causing them all to laugh.

He wondered what to do with the information he'd heard, and more so, what Nick would do with it. Would he try and stop Snape? Go to their Parent's perhaps? Or even try and get the Stone himself in some attempt at playing the hero. Anything was possible with Nick really, Harrison would have to keep a closer eye on him.

* * *

 **A/N: Please review etc. it makes me happy:-) Thanks for reading...**


End file.
